28Since the INPS and the Italian Government submit that the exclusion of long-term residents whose family members are not resident in the territory of the Member State concerned is consistent with the objective of integration pursued by Directive 2003/109 on the ground that integration implies presence in that territory, it must be observed that it is apparent from recitals 2, 4, 6 and 12 to that directive that its objective is the integration of third-country nationals who are settled lawfully and on a long-term basis in the Member States and, for that purpose, to bring 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 (judgment of 14 March 2019, Y. Z and Others (Fraud with regard to family reunification), C‑557/17, EU:C:2019:203, paragraph 63).
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