JUDGMENT
OF
25. 7. 2018 — CASE C-585/16
ALHETO
provided by UNRWA in its territory, and of its adherence to the principle of non-refoulement, a State
actor of protection, within the meaning of Article 7(1)(a) of Directive 2011/95, and would satisfy all the
conditions required by point (b) of the first paragraph of Article 35 of Directive 2013/32 in order to fall
within the concept of ‘first country of asylum’, referred to in that provision.
142
It is for the referring court to assess, if necessary after ordering the DAB to produce any relevant
documentation or factual evidence, whether all the conditions described in paragraph 140 of the
present judgment are satisfied in the present case.
143
In the light of the foregoing, the answer to the fifth question is that point (b) of the first paragraph of
Article 35 of Directive 2013/32 must be interpreted as meaning that a person registered with UNRWA
must, if he or she is a beneficiary of effective protection or assistance from that agency in a third
country that is not the territory in which he or she habitually resides but which forms part of the area
of operations of that agency, be considered as enjoying sufficient protection in that third country,
within the meaning of that provision, when it:
– agrees to readmit the person concerned after he or she has left its territory in order to apply for
international protection in the European Union; and
– recognises that protection or assistance from UNRWA and supports the principle of
non-refoulement, thus enabling the person concerned to stay in its territory in safety under
dignified living conditions for as long as necessary in view of the risks in the territory of habitual
residence.
The sixth question
144
145
By its sixth question, the referring court asks, in essence, whether Article 46(3) of Directive 2013/32,
read in conjunction with Article 47 of the Charter, must be interpreted as meaning that the court or
tribunal seised at first instance of an appeal against a decision concerning an application for
international protection must, in the event that it annuls that decision, rule itself on that application
for international protection by granting or rejecting it.
In that regard, it must be noted that Article 46(3) of Directive 2013/32 only concerns the ‘examination’
of the appeal and does not therefore govern what happens after any annulment of the decision under
appeal.
146
Thus, by adopting Directive 2013/32, the EU legislature did not intend to introduce any common rule
to the effect that the quasi-judicial or administrative body referred to in Article 2(f) of that directive
should be deprived of its powers following the annulment of its initial decision concerning an
application for international protection. It therefore remains open to the Member States to provide
that the file must, following such an annulment, be referred back to that body for a new decision.
147
However, Article 46(3) of Directive 2013/32 would be deprived of any practical effect if it were
accepted that, after delivery of a judgment by which the court or tribunal of first instance conducted,
in accordance with that provision, a full and ex nunc assessment of the international protection needs
of the applicant by virtue of Directive 2011/95, that body could take a decision that ran counter to that
assessment or could allow a considerable period of time to elapse, which could increase the risk that
evidence requiring a new up-to-date assessment might arise.
148
Consequently, even though the purpose of Directive 2013/32 is not to establish a common standard in
respect of the power to adopt a new decision on an application for international protection after the
annulment of the initial decision, it nevertheless follows from its purpose of ensuring the fastest
possible processing of applications of that nature, from the obligation to ensure that Article 46(3) is
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