NOT ESTABLISHED ANY SUCH TIES AND THAT SHE MERELY ACCOMPANIED HIM , SHE CANNOT HAVE ESTABLISHED ANY SUCH TIES WITH THE COUNTRY OF EMPLOYMENT EITHER . THE APPLICANT MAINTAINS THAT SHE HAD NO ALTERNATIVE OTHER THAN TO ACCOMPANY HER HUSBAND SINCE , UNDER THE ITALIAN LEGISLATION APPLICABLE AT THE TIME , A WIFE WAS OBLIGED TO ACCOMPANY HER HUSBAND WHEREVER HE CONSIDERED IT APPROPRIATE TO ESTABLISH HIS RESIDENCE . SHE THEREFORE FOUND HERSELF IN CIRCUMSTANCES ARISING FROM WORK DONE BY HER HUSBAND FOR AN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION , NAMELY THE COMMISSION .
8 NEXT , THE APPLICANT POINTS OUT THAT UNTIL 1980 THE COMMISSION INTERPRETED THE LAST SENTENCE OF ARTICLE 4 ( 1 ) ( A ), SECOND INDENT , OF ANNEX VII TO THE STAFF REGULATIONS AS MEANING THAT THE PERIOD SPENT BY A PERSON IN A COUNTRY IN WHICH HE OR SHE RESIDED SOLELY AS A RESULT OF THE WORK DONE BY HIS OR HER SPOUSE FOR A STATE OR AN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION WAS NOT TO BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT FOR THE PURPOSES OF THE GRANT OF THE EXPATRIATION ALLOWANCE . THAT INTERPRETATION WAS ALTERED IN THE CASE OF OFFICIALS WHO ENTERED THE SERVICE AFTER 1980 , WHILST PAYMENT OF THE ALLOWANCE TO OFFICIALS WHO WERE IN THE SAME POSITION BUT HAD ENTERED THE SERVICE BEFORE THAT DATE WAS MAINTAINED . IN THE APPLICANT ' S VIEW , THEREFORE , THE COMMISSION ' S FAILURE TO APPLY THE PROVISIONS OF THE STAFF REGULATIONS IN THE SAME MANNER TO ALL OFFICIALS WHO FIND THEMSELVES IN THE SITUATION CONTEMPLATED BY THE STAFF REGULATIONS CONSTITUTES A BREACH OF THE PRINCIPLE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION BETWEEN OFFICIALS .
9 FINALLY , THE APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT THE COMMISSION ' S NEW INTERPRETATION LEADS TO DISCRIMINATION BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN AND , MORE PARTICULARLY , INFRINGES THE PROVISIONS OF COUNCIL DIRECTIVE NO 75/117/EEC OF 10 FEBRUARY 1975 ON THE APPROXIMATION OF THE LAWS OF THE MEMBER STATES RELATING TO THE APPLICATION OF THE PRINCIPLE OF EQUAL PAY FOR MEN AND WOMEN ( OFFICIAL JOURNAL L 45 , P . 19 ). THE SOCIAL CONSTRAINTS AND DOMESTIC OBLIGATIONS IMPOSED ON WOMEN , PARTICULARLY THE DUTY TO RAISE THEIR CHILDREN UNTIL THEY HAVE REACHED SCHOOL-AGE , PREVENT OFFICIALS ' WIVES FOR RELATIVELY LONG PERIODS FROM APPLYING TO ENTER THE SERVICE OF THE INSTITUTION BY WHICH THE HUSBAND IS EMPLOYED . TO DISREGARD THAT STATE OF AFFAIRS IN CONNECTION WITH THE INTERPRETATION OF THE PROVISION IN QUESTION AMOUNTS TO DISCRIMINATION .
10 THE COMMISSION EMPHASIZES , AS REGARDS THE ALLEGED ERROR IN THE STATEMENT OF REASONS , THAT THE APPLICANT WAS NOT OBLIGED TO CHANGE HER PLACE OF RESIDENCE AS A RESULT OF ENTERING THE SERVICE . SINCE SHE HAD BEEN LIVING IN BRUSSELS SINCE 1970 , SHE DID NOT INCUR THE EXTRA EXPENSE OR SUFFER THE ADDITIONAL INCONVENIENCE RESULTING FROM TAKING UP EMPLOYMENT WITH THE COMMISSION AND HAD ALREADY ESTABLISHED LASTING TIES WITH THE HOST COUNTRY .
11 THE COMMISSION JUSTIFIES THE ALTERATION OF ITS ADMINISTRATIVE PRACTICE BY REFERENCE