Judgment_paragraph 78 · H. T. v Land Baden-Württemberg (C-373/13)

78Therefore, in order to interpret the concept of ‘compelling reasons of national security or public order’ contained in Article 24(1) of Directive 2004/83, it should first be taken into account that it has already been held that the concept of ‘public security’ contained in Article 28(3) of Directive 2004/38 covers both a Member State’s internal and external security (see, inter alia, judgment in Tsakouridis, C‑145/09, EU:C:2010:708, paragraph 43 and the case-law cited) and that, consequently, a threat to the functioning of the institutions and essential public services and the survival of the population, as well as the risk of a serious disturbance to foreign relations or to peaceful coexistence of nations, or a risk to military interests, may affect public security (judgment in Tsakouridis, C‑145/09, EU:C:2010:708, paragraph 44). In addition, the Court has also held, in that context, that the concept of ‘imperative grounds of public security’ contained in Article 28(3) presupposes not only the existence of a threat to public security, but also that such a threat is of a particularly high degree of seriousness, as is reflected by the use of the words ‘imperative reasons’ (judgment in Tsakouridis, C‑145/09, EU:C:2010:708, paragraph 41).