JUDGMENT
118
OF
25. 7. 2018 — CASE C-585/16
ALHETO
In the light of all the foregoing considerations, the answer to the third question is that Article 46(3) of
Directive 2013/32, read in conjunction with Article 47 of the Charter, must be interpreted as meaning
that a court or tribunal of a Member State seised at first instance of an appeal against a decision
relating to an application for international protection must examine both facts and points of law, such
as the applicability of Article 12(1)(a) of Directive 2011/95 to the applicant’s circumstances, which the
body that took that decision took into account or could have taken into account, and those which
arose after the adoption of that decision.
The fourth question
119
By its fourth question, the referring court asks, in essence, whether Article 46(3) of Directive 2013/32,
read in conjunction with Articles 18, 19 and 47 of the Charter, must be interpreted as meaning that the
requirement for a full and ex nunc examination both of facts and of points of law also covers the
grounds of inadmissibility of the application for international protection referred to in Article 33(2) of
that directive and, if so, whether, in the event of an examination of such a ground of inadmissibility by
the court or tribunal, even though that ground had not been examined by the determining authority,
the file must be referred back to that authority for it to conduct the admissibility interview provided
for in Article 34 of that directive.
120
As stated in paragraph 115 of the present judgment, the full and ex nunc examination of the appeal
may concern the admissibility of an application for international protection, where permitted under
national law. In accordance with the purpose of Directive 2013/32 of establishing a system in which,
at the very least, the court or tribunal seised at first instance of an appeal against a decision of a
determining authority must conduct a full and up-to-date examination, that court or tribunal may,
inter alia, find that the applicant benefits from sufficient protection in a third country, with the result
that it becomes unnecessary to examine the requirement for protection in the European Union. The
application is then, for that reason, ‘inadmissible’.
121
As regards the cumulative conditions to which the application of such a ground of inadmissibility is
subject, such as those referred to, as regards the first country of asylum ground, in Article 35 of that
directive, or, as regards the safe third country ground, in Article 38 of that directive, that court or
tribunal must rigorously examine whether each of those conditions has been satisfied by inviting,
where appropriate, the determining authority to produce any documentation or factual evidence
which may be relevant.
122
In the present case, it is apparent from the wording of the fourth question and accompanying
explanations, that the referring court envisages, as the case may be, the application of the ‘first
country of asylum’ concept, defined in Article 35 of Directive 2013/32, or the ‘safe third country’
concept, defined in Article 38 of that directive, to which the second paragraph of Article 35 of that
directive refers, or even the concept of ‘safe country of origin’, defined in Article 36(1) of that
directive, the latter concept being referred to in point (c) of the fourth question.
123
124
As regards the concept of ‘safe country of origin’, it must be noted that that concept is not included, as
such, in the grounds of inadmissibility laid down in Article 33 of Directive 2013/32. Consequently,
there is no need to examine it further in the context of the present reference for a preliminary ruling.
By contrast, in so far as the referring court envisages the application of the ‘first country of asylum’ or
‘safe third country’ concepts, it must conduct the examination referred to in paragraph 121 of the
present judgment and ensure, before ruling on the matter, that the applicant has had the opportunity
to set out her views in person on the applicability of the ground of inadmissibility to her particular
situation.
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ECLI:EU:C:2018:584