Member States should have the possibility to apply the concept of safe third country as a ground for inadmissibility where the possibility exists for the applicant to request and, if the conditions are fulfilled, to receive effective protection in a third country, where his or her life and liberty are not threatened on account of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, where he or she is neither subject to persecution nor faces a real risk of serious harm as defined in and where he or she is protected against refoulement and against removal in violation of the right to protection from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment as laid down in international law. Nonetheless, the determining authorities of the Member States should retain the right to assess the merits of an application even if the conditions for regarding it as inadmissible are met, in particular when they are compelled to do so pursuant to their national obligations. A Member State should be able to apply the concept of safe third country only where there is a connection between the applicant and the third country on the basis of which it would be reasonable for the applicant to go to that country. The connection between the applicant and the safe third country could be considered established in particular where members of the applicant’s family are present in that country or where the applicant has settled or stayed in that country.