Two asylum seekers – an Afghan national and an Indian national – were forced to live for a number of weeks in precarious conditions in Ireland after that Member State refused to provide them with the minimum reception conditions required by EU law. Although the Irish authorities issued each of them with a single voucher for €25, they did not allocate them housing, pleading a lack of available accommodation in dedicated reception centres. The Irish authorities plead a situation of force majeure, which they claim consists of the temporary exhaustion of the housing capacity normally available in the territory of Ireland for applicants for international protection, owing to a mass influx of third-country nationals following the invasion of Ukraine.
In its judgment, the Court recalls that the Member States are required, under the directive, to guarantee applicants for international protection material reception conditions which ensure an adequate standard of living, whether through housing, financial aid, vouchers, or a combination of the three. Those conditions must cover basic needs, including appropriate accommodation, and safeguard the physical and mental health of the persons concerned.
HvJ EU C-97/24, 1.8.25
https://curia.europa.eu/juris/documents.jsf?num=C-97/24