Strasbourg - Austria must pay a deported Bulgarian national 3,000 euros (4,684 dollars) in compensation, the European Court of Human Rights ruled Monday.

The 24-year-old had moved as a six-year-old to Austria where his family still lives and has hardly any connection to his native land.

Deporting him breached the respect for family life, the judges ruled.

In 2003, Austria had deported the then 19-year-old to Bulgaria after two prison sentences for theft and following his refusal to undergo treatment for addiction.

Austrian authorities also banned him from re-entering the country for the ensuing 10 years.

It would not be possible to reintegrate a young criminal into society when family relations had been disrupted as a result of deportation, the verdict said.

The 10-year ban on re-entering the country was "not required in a democratic society." (dpa)