Keywords

Summary



Keywords

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1. Social policy - Equal treatment for men and women in matters of social security - Directive 79/7/EEC - Article 4(1) - Direct effect - Belated national implementing measures subjecting the grant to married women of benefits for incapacity for work to a condition not previously applied to men and thereby withdrawing from women rights previously conferred by the directive - Not permissible

(Council Directive 79/7, Art. 4(1))

2. Social policy - Equal treatment for men and women in matters of social security - Directive 79/7 - National legislation subjecting future continuance of entitlement to benefits for incapacity for work to a condition applicable without distinction as to sex - Measure having the effect of withdrawing from women rights conferred by Article 4(1) - Permissibility

(EEC Treaty, Arts 117 and 118; Council Directive 79/7, Art. 4(1))

3. Social policy - Equal treatment for men and women in matters of social security - Directive 79/7 - Article 4(1) - National legislation subjecting the grant of benefits for incapacity for work to the requirement of having previously received some income - Condition applied without distinction as to sex, but principally affecting women - Not permissible without objective justification - Budgetary considerations - No justification

(Council Directive 79/7, Art. 4(1))

4. Social policy - Equal treatment for men and women in matters of social security - Directive 79/7 - Article 4(1) - Direct effect - May be relied on only by persons covered ratione personae and by those affected by discrimination in a national provision through another person so covered

(Council Directive 79/7, Arts 2 and 4(1))

Summary

1. Article 4(1) of Directive 79/7 may, in the absence of appropriate implementing measures, be relied on by individuals before the national courts in order to preclude the application of any provision of national law inconsistent with that article and as from 23 December 1984, the date on which the time allowed for transposing the directive expired, women are entitled to be treated in the same manner and to have the same rules applied to them as men who are in the same situation, since, where the directive has not been implemented correctly, those rules remain the only valid point of reference.

Belatedly adopted implementing measures must fully respect the rights which Article 4(1) has conferred on individuals in a Member State as from the expiry of the period allowed to the Member States for complying therewith.

Accordingly Community law precludes the application of national legislation intended to implement Article 4(1) of Directive 79/7, adopted after expiry of the time-limit laid down in the directive, which, by making entitlement to benefits for incapacity for work dependent on a condition not previously applied to men, deprives married women of the rights conferred on them, when the time-limit for implementation had expired, by virtue of the direct effect of the directive.

2. Directive 79/7 on the progressive implementation of the principle of equal treatment between men and women in matters of social security leaves intact the powers reserved by Articles 117 and 118 of the Treaty to the Member States to define their social policy within the framework of close cooperation organized by the Commission, and consequently the nature and extent of measures of social protection, including those relating to social security, and the way in which they are implemented.

Accordingly, Community law does not preclude the introduction of national legislation which, by making continuance of entitlement to benefits for incapacity for work subject to a condition applicable henceforth to men and women alike, has the effect of withdrawing from women in future rights which they derive from the direct effect of Article 4(1) of Directive 79/7.

3. Article 4(1) of Directive 79/7 precludes the application of a national measure which, although formulated in neutral terms, works to the disadvantage of far more women than men, unless that measure is based on objectively justified factors unrelated to any discrimination on grounds of sex. That is the case where the measures chosen reflect a legitimate social policy aim of the Member State whose legislation is at issue, are appropriate to achieve that aim and are necessary in order to do so.

Nevertheless, although budgetary considerations may influence a Member State' s choice of social policy and affect the nature or scope of the social protection measures it wishes to adopt, they cannot themselves constitute the aim pursued by that policy and cannot, therefore, justify discrimination against one of the sexes.

Accordingly, Article 4(1) of Directive 79/7 precludes the application of national legislation which makes the grant of benefits for incapacity for work subject to the condition of having received some income during the year preceding the commencement of the incapacity, a condition which, although it does not distinguish on grounds of sex, affects far more women than men, even if the adoption of that national legislation is justified on budgetary grounds.

4. Only persons falling within the scope ratione personae of Directive 79/7 as defined in Article 2 and those affected by discrimination in a national provision through another person who himself falls within the scope of the directive may, if that national legislation is incompatible with Article 4(1) of the directive, rely on that article before the national courts in order to prevent the application of the national legislation.