C-435/23, Glavna direktsia Granichna politsia: Order of the Court (Sixth Chamber) of 29 July 2024 (request for a preliminary ruling from the Okrazhen sad – Smolyan – Bulgaria) – Glavna direktsia Granichna politsia kam Ministerstvo na vatreshnite raboti v BO (Reference for a preliminary ruling – Article 99 of the Rules of Procedure of the Court of Justice – Questions the answer to which may be clearly deduced from the Court’s existing case-law – Social policy – Organisation of working time – Directive 2003/88/EC – Article 12(а) – Articles 20 and 31 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union – Safety and health of night workers – Level of protection for night workers appropriate to the nature of their work – Police officers and firefighters performing shift and night work – Public sector workers and private sector workers – Equal treatment)
Date: 2024-07-29
Institutions: Court of Justice
Subjects: equal treatment, labour law, night work, private sector, public order, public sector, public service employee, regulations for civil servants, staff








C_202405963EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2024/5963


14.10.2024






Order of the Court (Sixth Chamber) of 29 July 2024 (request for a preliminary ruling from the Okrazhen sad – Smolyan – Bulgaria) – Glavna direktsia ‘Granichna politsia’ kam Ministerstvo na vatreshnite raboti v BO


(C-435/23,
                (1)
Glavna direktsia Granichna politsia)

(Reference for a preliminary ruling - Article 99 of the Rules of Procedure of the Court of Justice - Questions the answer to which may be clearly deduced from the Court’s existing case-law - Social policy - Organisation of working time - Directive 2003/88/EC - Article 12(а) - Articles 20 and 31 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union - Safety and health of night workers - Level of protection for night workers appropriate to the nature of their work - Police officers and firefighters performing shift and night work - Public sector workers and private sector workers - Equal treatment)
(C/2024/5963)
Language of the case: Bulgarian

Referring court

Okrazhen sad – Smolyan

Parties to the main proceedings


Appellant: Glavna direktsia ‘Granichna politsia’ kam Ministerstvo na vatreshnite raboti

Respondent: BO

Operative part of the order







1.


Article 12(a) of Directive 2003/88/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 November 2003 concerning certain aspects of the organisation of working time and Articles 20 and 31 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union
must be interpreted as precluding legislation which, as regards the normal length of night work, provides for a difference in treatment of a group of public sector workers entrusted with essential tasks related to maintaining public order and protecting the population, as compared with another group of public sector workers entrusted with the same tasks, or as compared with private sector workers, unless that difference in treatment is based on an objective and reasonable criterion, that is to say, it relates to a legally permitted aim pursued by the legislation and is proportionate to that aim.










2.


Article 12(a) of Directive 2003/88 and Articles 20 and 31 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights
must be interpreted as precluding the application of binding national case-law, if that application leads to an outcome that is incompatible with those provisions of EU law, in particular to a difference in treatment that is not based on an objective and reasonable criterion.






(1)  OJ C C/2023/121.


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/5963/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)