Luxembourg/Berlin, Ramadan 13, 1435, Jul 10, 2014, SPA -- Spouses wanting to join Turkish citizens living in Germany cannot be required to have a basic knowledge of the German language, the European Union's top court ruled Thursday, according to dpa. The Luxembourg-based European Court of Justice was asked to issue advice on the case of a Turkish woman who was denied a visa to join her husband in the European country because she did not have the required German linguistic skills. Her husband has been living in Germany since 1998, manages a company in country and has an unlimited residence permit. The court found that the language requirement, introduced by Germany for third-country spouses in 2007, violates an EU-Turkey agreement from the 1970s. "Such legislation constitutes ... a new restriction of the exercise of the freedom of establishment by Turkish nationals," the court said in a statement. But while Turkish community leaders in Germany warmly welcomed the court's decision, immigration officials in Chancellor Angela Merkel's government criticized the ruling. -- SPA 16:30 LOCAL TIME 13:30 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/1252468