Judgment of the Court (Fourth Chamber), 7 November 2013

Minister voor Immigratie en Asiel v X and Y and Z v Minister voor Immigratie en Asiel

Requests for a preliminary ruling from the Raad van State (Netherlands)

Directive 2004/83/EC — Minimum standards relating to the conditions for granting refugee status or subsidiary protection status — Article 10(1)(d) — Membership of a particular social group — Sexual orientation — Reason for persecution — Article 9(1) — Concept of ‘persecution’ — Well-founded fear of being persecuted on account of membership of a particular social group — Acts sufficiently serious to justify such a fear — Legislation criminalising homosexual acts — Article 4 — Individual assessment of the facts and circumstances

Joined Cases C‑199/12 to C‑201/12


Top of the page Documents in the Case
Document Date Name of the parties Subject-matter Curia EUR-Lex Autres Liens
Judgment (OJ)
13/12/2013 X and Others
Judgment
ECLI:EU:C:2013:720
07/11/2013 X and Others
Judgment (Summary)
ECLI:EU:C:2013:720
07/11/2013 X and Others
Application (OJ)
06/07/2012 X and Others
Order
ECLI:EU:C:2012:362
19/06/2012 X and Others
Opinion
ECLI:EU:C:2013:474
11/07/2013 X and Others
Top of the page Legal analysis of the decision or of the case

Reports of Cases

published in the electronic Reports of Cases (Court Reports - general)

Subject-matter

Reference for a preliminary ruling – Raad van State – Interpretation of Arts 9(1)(a) and (2)(c) and Article 10(1)(d) of Council Directive 2004/83/EC of 29 April 2004 on minimum standards for the qualification and status of third country nationals or stateless persons as refugees or as persons who otherwise need international protection and the content of the protection granted (OJ 2004 L 304, p. 12) – Grant of refugee status – Conditions – Reasons for persecution – Homosexuality – Concept of particular social group – Legislation of the country of origin providing for imprisonment of not less than 10 years in the case of homosexual relationships

Systematic classification scheme

1.
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.06 Area of freedom, security and justice
    4.06.01 Border checks, asylum and immigration
      4.06.01.03 Asylum policy
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.06 Area of freedom, security and justice
    4.06.01 Border checks, asylum and immigration
      4.06.01.03 Asylum policy
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.06 Area of freedom, security and justice
    4.06.01 Border checks, asylum and immigration
      4.06.01.03 Asylum policy


Citations of case-law or legislation

References in grounds of judgment

Operative part

Opinion


Dates

Date of the lodging of the application initiating proceedings

  • 27/04/2012

Date of the Opinion

  • 11/07/2013

Date of the hearing

Information not available

Date of delivery

07/11/2013


References

Publication in the Official Journal

Applications: OJ C 217 from 21.07.2012, p.7

Judgment: OJ C 9 from 11.01.2014, p.8

Name of the parties

X and Others

Notes on Academic Writings

  1. Kunej, Špela: X, homoseksualec, begunec, Pravna praksa 2013 nº 46 p.24-25 (SL)
  2. Battjes, Hemme: Asielverzoeken van homoseksuelen: X, Y en Z tegen de Minister voor immigratie en asiel, Asiel en Migrantenrecht 2013 p.504-512 (NL)
  3. Sußner, Petra: Kylie Again! Zur sexuellen Ausrichtung im Asylrecht, Juridikum : Zeitschrift im Rechtsstaat 2013 p.406-408 (DE)
  4. Simon, Denys: Persécution à raison de l'orientation sexuelle, Europe 2014 janvier Com. nº 1 p.27-28 (FR)
  5. Kok, S.: Administratiefrechtelijke beslissingen ; Rechtspraak bestuursrecht 2014 nº 95 (NL)
  6. Defossez, Alexandre: Arrêt "X, Y et Z": les homosexuels persécutés dans leur pays d'origine peuvent-ils bénéficier du statut de "réfugié"?, Journal de droit européen 2014 nº 206 p.54-55 (FR)
  7. Berger, Maria ; Pelzl, Alexander: Asylrecht: In ihren Heimatländern strafrechtlicher Verfolgung ausgesetzte homosexuelle Asylwerber können als eine bestimmte soziale Gruppe iSd RL 2004/38 angesehen werden, Österreichische Juristenzeitung 2014 p.92 (DE)
  8. Pfersich, Andreas: Mindestnormen für die Anerkennung und den Status als Flüchtling oder den subsidiären Schutzstatus, soziale Gruppe, sexuelle Ausrichtung, Zeitschrift für Ausländerrecht und Ausländerpolitik 2014 p.197-198 (DE)
  9. Taccani, Igor: Sexual Orientation and Refugee Status – The ECJ Confronted with the issue of Persecution of Homosexual Acts as Ground forRecognition of Refugee Status, European Law Reporter 2014 p.20-24 (DE)
  10. Terlouw, A.B.: Rechtspraak Vreemdelingenrecht 2013 (Ed. Ars Aequi Libri - Nijmegen) 2013 p. 68-71 (NL)
  11. Den Heijer, Maarten: Persecution for reason of sexual orientation: X, Y and Z, Common Market Law Review 2014 p.1217-1234 (EN)
  12. Carlier, Jean-Yves: Droit européen des migrations, Journal de droit européen 2014 nº 207 p.105-114 (FR)
  13. Hueting, Laurens ; Zilli, Livio: The judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union in X, Y and Z v Minister voor Immigratie en Asiel: a glass half full for "rainbow refugees"?, European Human Rights Law Review 2014 p.490-506 (EN)
  14. Morassutto, Luca: La nuova giurisprudenza civile commentata 2014 06 p.560-572 (IT)
  15. Savy, Daniela: Il diritto di asilo diindividui omossessuali e gli incerti contorni del divieto di discriminazione nella giurisprudenza della Corte di giustizia dell'Unione europea, Diritti umani e diritto internazionale 2014 p.261-265 (IT)
  16. Jansen, Sabine: Over de gevolgen van het XYZ-arrest voor LHBT-asielzoekers in Nederland. Out & Proud?, Asiel en Migrantenrecht 2015 p.100-106 (NL)
  17. de Castro Sánchez, Claribel: La condición sexual como razón de la concesión de asilo. ¿Una nueva puerta de entrada a Europa? Reflexiones a la luz de la sentencia del Tribunal de Justicia de la UE de 7 de noviembre de 2013, Minister Voor Inmigratie en Asiel/X, Y y Z., Revista General de Derecho Europeo 2015, n° 35, p. 1-22 (ES)
  18. Carlier, Jean-Yves ; Leboeuf, Luc: Droit européen des migrations, Journal de droit européen 2019 nº 3 p.114-130 (FR)



Procedural Analysis Information

Source of the question referred for a preliminary ruling

Raad van State - Netherlands

Subject-matter

  • area of freedom, security and justice
  • - asylum policy

Provisions of national law referred to

Vreemdelingenwet 2000, art. 1, aanhef en onder l, en 29, lid 1, aanhef en onder a Voorschrift Vreemdelingen 2000, art. 3.36 et 3.37

Provisions of international law referred to

Information not available

Procedure and result

  • Reference for a preliminary ruling

Formation of the Court

quatrième chambre (Cour)

Judge-Rapporteur

Bay Larsen

Advocate General

Sharpston

Language(s) of the Case

  • Dutch

Language(s) of the Opinion

  • English