COMMISSION'S INACTION JUSTIFIED IN SEXUAL ORIENTATION CASE, SAYS OMBUDSMAN.

No fault lies with the European Commission for not taking action against Spain's refusal to grant a family reunion visa to the same-sex Argentine partner of a Spanish citizen, the European Ombudsman has found. The couple had argued that the Commission was obliged to pursue the case as Spain was guilty of discriminating on grounds of sexual orientation, which is banned by Article 13 of the EC Treaty. But in a decision announced on May 2, EU Ombudsman Nikiforos Diamandouros agreed with the Commission that it is a matter of family law and therefore falls outside the EU's remit. The couple do not benefit from existing EU...