63Furthermore, it is clear from recitals 2, 4, 6 and 12 of Directive 2003/109 that the objective of the directive is the integration of third-country nationals who are settled lawfully and on a long-term basis in the Member States (see, to that effect, judgments of 17 July 2014, Tahir, C‑469/13, EU:C:2014:2094, paragraph 32; of 4 June 2015, P and S, C‑579/13, EU:C:2015:369, paragraph 46; and of 2 September 2015, CGIL and INCA, C‑309/14, EU:C:2015:523, paragraph 21) and, for that purpose, bringing the rights of those nationals closer to those enjoyed by EU citizens, inter alia by establishing equal treatment with the latter in a wide range of economic and social fields. Thus, long-term resident status enables the person benefiting from it to enjoy equal treatment in the fields covered by Article 11 of Directive 2003/109, under the conditions laid down in that article. Under Article 14(1) of that directive, that status also affords the long-term resident the right to reside for a period exceeding three months on the territory of Member States other than the one which granted him that status, under the conditions set out in Chapter III of the directive, and to benefit there, in accordance with Article 21 of the same directive, from equal treatment as provided for in Article 11 thereof.
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