Danish Ombudsman: Ministry Broke The Law

The Danish Parliament’s Ombudsman, Hans Gammeltoft-Hansen, gave harsh criticism of the Ministry of Integration, which he directly finds have broken the law because a Danish-Thai couple were denied proper information about their rights to family-unification.
“Overall, it is my opinion that the ministry has not fulfilled its obligations to advice the Thai- Danish couple in a proper manner. I find that’s condemnable”, says Hans Gammeltoft-Hansen.
It is the first time, the Ombudsman openly criticize the government for failing to live up to the laws in matters of family reunification under EU rules. And the new decision from the ombudsman is according to experts, a serious criticism of the ministry:
“The Ombudsman pronounce a wide criticism and it is certainly in the coarser end. And it’s entirely appropriate. This is an obvious gross breach of guidance service,” says assistant professor of administrative law at Aalborg University Stone Bønsing to the Danish newspaper Politiken and call the case “grave”.
Since the couple had been denied family reunification by the Danish Immigration Service, the husband Philip Balmes wrote a letter in February 2008 to minister of Integration Birthe Ronn Hornbech (V) that he as an alternative solution was prepared to move to Germany to get his Thai wife to Denmark. He directly asked the minister whether this was a possibility.
In the response to Mr. Balmer there were no mentions about the EU rules.
“This violates the law. They do not give the man the information the information that he needs. Add to that the fact they mislead him by mentioning some other possibilities that Mr. Balmer has absolutely no chance to benefit from “, says Claus Jensen Hague, professor of public law.
The Ombudsman did not wish to comment on the specific case, and it has not been possible to get a comment from the minister Birthe Ronn Hornbech, writes Politiken.

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