# C_2006326EN.01002902.xml

| 30.12.2006 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | C 326/29 |
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Reference for a preliminary ruling from the Bundesarbetitsgericht (Germany) lodged on 18 October 2006 — Birgit Bartsch v Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte (BSH) Altersfürsorge GmbH

(Case C-427/06)

(2006/C 326/61)

Language of the case: German

Referring court

Bundesarbeitsgericht

Parties to the main proceedings

Applicant: Birgit Bartsch

Defendants: Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte (BSH) Altersfürsorge GmbH

Questions referred

| 1. | a)
Does the primary legislation of the European Communities contain a prohibition of discrimination on grounds of age the protection by which must be guaranteed by the Member States even if the possibly discriminatory treatment is not connected to Community law? b)
In the event that question a) is answered in the negative:
Does such a connection to Community law arise from Article 13 EC or — even before the time-limit for transposition has expired — from Council Directive 2000/78/EC of 27 November 2000 establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation( 1 )? | a) | Does the primary legislation of the European Communities contain a prohibition of discrimination on grounds of age the protection by which must be guaranteed by the Member States even if the possibly discriminatory treatment is not connected to Community law? | b) | In the event that question a) is answered in the negative:
Does such a connection to Community law arise from Article 13 EC or — even before the time-limit for transposition has expired — from Council Directive 2000/78/EC of 27 November 2000 establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation( 1 )? |
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| a) | Does the primary legislation of the European Communities contain a prohibition of discrimination on grounds of age the protection by which must be guaranteed by the Member States even if the possibly discriminatory treatment is not connected to Community law? | | | | |
| b) | In the event that question a) is answered in the negative:
Does such a connection to Community law arise from Article 13 EC or — even before the time-limit for transposition has expired — from Council Directive 2000/78/EC of 27 November 2000 establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation( 1 )? | | | | |

| 2. | Is any prohibition of discrimination on grounds of age arising from the answer to question 1 also applicable between private employers on the one hand and their employees or pensioners and their survivors on the other hand? |
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| 3. | If question 2 is answered in the affirmative:
a)
Is a provision of an occupational pension scheme, which provides that a survivor's pension will not be granted to a surviving spouse in the event that the survivor is more than 15 years younger than the deceased former employee, within the scope of the prohibition of discrimination on grounds of age? b)
If question a) above is answered in the affirmative:
Can such a provision be justified by the fact that the employer has an interest in limiting the risks arising from the occupational pension scheme? c)
In the event that question 3 b) is answered in the negative:
Does the possible prohibition of discrimination on grounds of age have unlimited retroactive effect as regards the law relating to occupational pension schemes or is it limited as regards the past, and if so in what way? | a) | Is a provision of an occupational pension scheme, which provides that a survivor's pension will not be granted to a surviving spouse in the event that the survivor is more than 15 years younger than the deceased former employee, within the scope of the prohibition of discrimination on grounds of age? | b) | If question a) above is answered in the affirmative:
Can such a provision be justified by the fact that the employer has an interest in limiting the risks arising from the occupational pension scheme? | c) | In the event that question 3 b) is answered in the negative:
Does the possible prohibition of discrimination on grounds of age have unlimited retroactive effect as regards the law relating to occupational pension schemes or is it limited as regards the past, and if so in what way? |
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| a) | Is a provision of an occupational pension scheme, which provides that a survivor's pension will not be granted to a surviving spouse in the event that the survivor is more than 15 years younger than the deceased former employee, within the scope of the prohibition of discrimination on grounds of age? | | | | | | |
| b) | If question a) above is answered in the affirmative:
Can such a provision be justified by the fact that the employer has an interest in limiting the risks arising from the occupational pension scheme? | | | | | | |
| c) | In the event that question 3 b) is answered in the negative:
Does the possible prohibition of discrimination on grounds of age have unlimited retroactive effect as regards the law relating to occupational pension schemes or is it limited as regards the past, and if so in what way? | | | | | | |

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( 1 )  OJ L 303, p. 16.

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