“In today’s rapidly changing world, family remains one of the most important sources of support, identity, and stability. We write to you on behalf of the growing number of binational families in Europe – people who, in the spirit of the European Union, contribute to peaceful coexistence and embody the values of unity, diversity, and freedom. Thanks to the EU, generations of Europeans can travel, study, live, and work across borders. As a result, millions of relationships and families now span national lines, contributing socially, politically, and economically to the communities they call home. As the European Network for Binational-Bicultural Couples and Families (ENB), we advocate for the right to love and build a family life with the person of one’s choice, regardless of nationality”.
This is the opening paragraph of an Open Letter sent to Members of European Parliament in January 2026.
The Citizens’ Rights Directive (Directive 2004/38/EC) grants the right to family reunification with a non-EU family member to EU citizens who have exercised their freedom of movement and reside in a Member State other than their own, or who return to their country of origin after having lived in another Member State with a non-EU family member. This legal framework ensures that binational families can stay together under clear and relatively harmonized rules.
For EU citizens who have not exercised their right to free movement and live in their country of nationality, national laws for family reunification apply. These laws vary greatly from country to country, and in many cases, are significantly more restrictive than the Citizens’ Rights Directive. Non-EU partners must often pass language exams before arrival, while their spouses must prove disproportionately high-income levels or navigate opaque bureaucratic processes that lead to prolonged separation or even denial of entry.
These national laws are, in many cases, incompatible with the principles enshrined in European and international law.
Children are separated from one of their parents. Couples are kept apart for years, unable to start a shared life. Some parents are forced into single parenthood because they cannot meet income thresholds while caring alone for a child. And all too often, visa applications are delayed or rejected due to arbitrary or discriminatory practices, further compounding the harm.
The Open letter highlights recurring and urgent issues, such as complex and opaque application procedures, discriminatory practices and structural racism, employment restrictions, and much more. ENB formulates recommendations in the Open Letter along the following lines:
- Improve data collection and monitoring on binational families across the EU, including domestic partnerships and LGBTQIA+ couples
- Acknowledge and address the unequal treatment of binational couples, particularlywhere the EU citizen resides in their own Member State and has not exercised theirright to free movement
- Uphold, protect and expand the right to family life for all EU citizens with non-EUpartners, in full alignment with EU and international human rights standards
- Ensure equal and respectful treatment in all Member States by establishing EU-wideguidelines for transparent application procedures.
Read the full open letter here.
