Case C-405/20: Judgment of the Court (First Chamber) of 5 May 2022 (request for a preliminary ruling from the Verwaltungsgerichtshof — Austria) — EB, JS, DP v Versicherungsanstalt öffentlich Bediensteter, Eisenbahnen und Bergbau (BVAEB) (Reference for a preliminary ruling — Social policy — Article 157 TFEU — Protocol (No 33) — Equal treatment of men and women in matters of employment and occupation — Directive 2006/54/EC — Article 5(c) and Article 12 — Prohibition of indirect discrimination on grounds of sex — Occupational social security scheme applicable after the date referred to in that protocol and that article 12 — Retirement pensions of civil servants — National legislation providing for an annual adjustment of retirement pensions — Adjustment on a reducing scale depending on the amount of the retirement pension, with no adjustment at all above a certain amount — Justifications)
Date: 2022-05-05
Institutions: Court of Justice
Subjects: civil servant, equal pay, equal treatment, gender equality, pension scheme, retirement conditions, sexual discrimination, social policy








C_2022244EN.01000601.xml










27.6.2022   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 244/6






Judgment of the Court (First Chamber) of 5 May 2022 (request for a preliminary ruling from the Verwaltungsgerichtshof — Austria) — EB, JS, DP v Versicherungsanstalt öffentlich Bediensteter, Eisenbahnen und Bergbau (BVAEB)
(Case C-405/20) (1)

(Reference for a preliminary ruling - Social policy - Article 157 TFEU - Protocol (No 33) - Equal treatment of men and women in matters of employment and occupation - Directive 2006/54/EC - Article 5(c) and Article 12 - Prohibition of indirect discrimination on grounds of sex - Occupational social security scheme applicable after the date referred to in that protocol and that article 12 - Retirement pensions of civil servants - National legislation providing for an annual adjustment of retirement pensions - Adjustment on a reducing scale depending on the amount of the retirement pension, with no adjustment at all above a certain amount - Justifications)
(2022/C 244/07)
Language of the case: German

Referring court

Verwaltungsgerichtshof

Parties to the main proceedings


Applicants: EB, JS, DP

Defendant: Versicherungsanstalt öffentlich Bediensteter, Eisenbahnen und Bergbau (BVAEB)

Operative part of the judgment







1.


Protocol (No 33) concerning Article 157 TFEU, annexed to the FEU Treaty, and Article 12 of Directive 2006/54/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 July 2006 on the implementation of the principle of equal opportunities and equal treatment of men and women in matters of employment and occupation must be interpreted as meaning that the temporal limitation of the effects of the principle of equal treatment of men and women provided for in those provisions does not apply to national legislation which provides for an annual adjustment of the retirement pensions paid under an occupational social security scheme applicable after the date referred to in those provisions;










2.


Article 157 TFEU and Article 5(c) of Directive 2006/54 must be interpreted as not precluding national legislation providing for an annual adjustment on a reducing scale of the amount of retirement pensions of national civil servants, depending on that amount, with no adjustment at all above a certain pension amount, if that legislation adversely affects a significantly greater proportion of male beneficiaries than female beneficiaries, provided that that legislation pursues, in a consistent and systematic manner, the objectives of ensuring the long-term funding of retirement pensions and of narrowing the gap between State-funded pension levels, without going beyond what is necessary to attain those objectives.






(1)  OJ C 378, 9.11.2020.