SUGGESTS , THE BENEFITS FALL INTO A SPECIAL CATEGORY WHICH IS AS YET NOT COVERED BY REGULATION NO 1408/71 , SO THAT SUCH BENEFITS MAY NOT BE REGARDED AS BEING OF ' ' THE SAME KIND ' ' AS OLD-AGE PENSIONS .
12 ON THE OTHER HAND , THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT MAINTAINS THAT SUCH BENEFITS MUST BE REGARDED AS BEING OF ' ' THE SAME KIND ' ' AS OLD-AGE BENEFITS , IN VIEW OF ALL THEIR CONSTITUENT ELEMENTS , IN PARTICULAR THE FACTOR OF AGE .
13 ACCORDING TO THE ESTABLISHED CASE-LAW OF THE COURT , SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS MUST BE REGARDED , IRRESPECTIVE OF CHARACTERISTICS PECULIAR TO THE VARIOUS NATIONAL LAWS , AS BEING OF THE SAME KIND WHEN THEIR PURPOSE AND OBJECT TOGETHER WITH THE BASIS ON WHICH THEY ARE CALCULATED AND THE CONDITIONS FOR GRANTING THEM ARE IDENTICAL . ON THE OTHER HAND , CHARACTERISTICS WHICH ARE PURELY FORMAL MUST NOT BE CONSIDERED RELEVANT CRITERIA FOR THE CLASSIFICATION OF THE BENEFITS .
14 IN THAT RESPECT , IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTIC OF THE OLD-AGE BENEFITS REFERRED TO IN ARTICLE 4 ( 1 ) ( C ) AND 46 OF REGULATION NO 1408/71 LIES IN THE FACT THAT THEY ARE INTENDED TO SAFEGUARD THE MEANS OF SUBSISTENCE OF PERSONS WHO , WHEN THEY REACH A CERTAIN AGE , LEAVE THEIR EMPLOYMENT AND ARE NO LONGER REQUIRED TO HOLD THEMSELVES AVAILABLE FOR WORK AT THE EMPLOYMENT OFFICE . MOREOVER , THE SYSTEM OF AGGREGATION AND APPORTIONMENT OF THE BENEFITS PROVIDED FOR IN ARTICLE 46 IS BASED ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT THE BENEFITS ARE NORMALLY FINANCED , ACQUIRED ON THE BASIS OF THE RECIPIENT ' S OWN CONTRIBUTIONS AND CALCULATED BY REFERENCE TO THE LENGTH OF TIME DURING WHICH HE HAS BEEN AFFILIATED TO THE INSURANCE SCHEME .
15 THAT FOLLOWS MOREOVER FROM ALL THE PROVISIONS OF CHAPTER 3 OF TITLE 3 OF REGULATION NO 1408/71 , IN PARTICULAR ARTICLE 45 THEREOF AND THE AIMS SET OUT IN THE SIXTH RECITAL IN THE PREAMBLE THERETO ACCORDING TO WHICH THE OBJECTIVES OF THE REGULATIONS ' ' MUST BE ATTAINED IN PARTICULAR BY AGGREGATION OF ALL THE PERIODS TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT UNDER THE VARIOUS NATIONAL LEGISLATIONS FOR THE PURPOSE OF ACQUIRING AND RETAINING THE RIGHT TO BENEFITS AND OF CALCULATING THE AMOUNT OF BENEFITS ' ' , AND IN THE EIGHTH RECITAL WHICH REFERS EXPRESSLY TO OLD-AGE PENSIONS , THE RIGHT TO WHICH HAS BEEN ACQUIRED IN VARIOUS MEMBER STATES ON THE BASIS OF INSURANCE PERIODS .
16 HENCE , WHILST BENEFITS OF THE TYPE IN QUESTION ARE TO SOME EXTENT SIMILAR TO OLD-AGE BENEFITS , AS REGARDS THEIR PURPOSE AND OBJECT WHICH IS , IN PARTICULAR , TO GUARANTEE THE MEANS OF SUBSISTENCE OF PERSONS WHO HAVE REACHED A CERTAIN AGE , THEY CLEARLY DIFFER FROM THEM IN RESPECT OF THE BASIS ON WHICH THEY ARE CALCULATED AND THE CONDITIONS FOR THEIR GRANT , REGARD BEING HAD TO THE SYSTEM OF AGGREGATION AND APPORTIONMENT WHICH FORMS