This report examines the fundamental rights of long-term residents in the EU and the reasons behind the low uptake of EU LTR permits, despite them typically giving more rights than national LTR permits. The findings of this report can inform discussions of the revision of the EU legal framework regulating long-term residence and the framework’s implementation.

Following preliminary questions from German courts, the Court of Justice of the European Union clarified, in a judgment today, the conditions for loss of status under Council Directive 2003/109/EC of 25 November 2003 concerning the status of third-country nationals who are long-term residents.

As of 2 November 2017, family members of foreign nationals who obtained a long term resident status in another Member State and reside in Belgium will not have to obtain a work permit if the long term residents themselves do not require such a permit.