Brussels, 26/09/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 25 September, the EU pointed out that it would give preference to a constructive method to meet the criticism raised by some member states, such as Denmark, Ireland, Austria, Germany and the United Kingdom, who consider that the “Metock” ruling, issued in July by the European Court of Justice, could cause sham marriages in Europe to increase in number. To avoid this phenomenon, Denmark even hoped to amend Directive 2004/38/EC on the free movement of EU citizens and their families (EUROPE 9728). “We should think twice before making any changes to the directive”, said Jacques Barrot, European Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security, speaking at a press conference. “The problem does not really lie with the [free movement] directive”, he said adding that further reflection is needed at expert level to see how to prevent abuse and promote best practice. He pointed out that his services would report on the situation in each member state. The Commission will then see whether it is appropriate to propose “guidelines” for application of Article 35 of the directive in order to avoid abusive use of rights. (B.C./transl.jl)