THE WEIGHTING FIXED FOR THE COUNTRY IN WHICH THE OFFICIAL WAS EMPLOYED . THIS METHOD OF CALCULATING THE EXCHANGE RATE WAS INTENDED TO ENABLE AN OFFICIAL EMPLOYED IN A COUNTRY WITH A WEAK CURRENCY TO MAKE THE TRANSFERS IN QUESTION IN RESPECT OF THE SAME PART OF HIS TOTAL REMUNERATION AS AN OFFICIAL EMPLOYED IN A COUNTRY WITH A STRONG CURRENCY .
30 IT IS TRUE THAT THE APPLICATION OF THE NEW PROVISIONS AT ISSUE ENTAILED A DECREASE IN THE BALANCE REMAINING FOR THE APPLICANT AFTER MAKING THE SAME TRANSFERS AS IN MARCH 1979 . IT SHOULD , HOWEVER , BE NOTED THAT THAT BALANCE AFTER THE TRANSFERS ARE MADE HAS NOT BEEN CONSTANT FOR MANY YEARS , AS IS IMPLIED IN THE APPLICANT ' S STATEMENTS , BUT HAS VARIED ACCORDING TO ADJUSTMENTS OF THE WEIGHTING IN LINE WITH CHANGES IN THE COST OF LIVING AND THE RATE OF INFLATION .
31 IT MUST BE REMEMBERED THAT THE WEIGHTING WAS INTRODUCED DURING A PERIOD OF RELATIVE STABILITY OF CURRENCIES AND THAT ITS FUNCTION WAS TO ENSURE THAT AN OFFICIAL ' S REMUNERATION WAS COMMENSURATE WITH THE LIVING CONDITIONS IN THE VARIOUS PLACES OF EMPLOYMENT . HOWEVER , FOLLOWING THE MONETARY CRISIS , THE WEIGHTING WAS USED NOT ONLY TO ADAPT REMUNERATION TO THE LIVING CONDITIONS IN THE VARIOUS PLACES OF EMPLOYMENT BUT ALSO TO PROVIDE COMPENSATION FOR THE DEVALUATION OF CERTAIN WEAK CURRENCIES . THUS , IN 1978 , WHILST THE COST OF LIVING IN ITALY WAS LOWER THAN THAT IN BELGIUM , THE WEIGHTING FOR ITALY WAS ALMOST HALF AS HIGH AGAIN AS THAT FOR BELGIUM . THE APPLICATION OF THAT WEIGHTING TO THE EXCHANGE RATES PROVIDED FOR THE STAFF REGULATIONS IN FORCE UNTIL THE END OF 1978 ( BFR 1 = LIT 12.50 ) COMPENSATED FOR THE DEVALUATION OF THE LIRA .
32 AN INEVITABLE RESULT OF THAT USE OF THE WEIGHTING WAS THAT THE WEIGHTING HAD TO BE APPLIED TO THE PORTION OF REMUNERATION INTENDED TO BE TRANSFERRED PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 17 OF ANNEX VII TO THE STAFF REGULATIONS AT THE OFFICIAL RATE SINCE IT FORMED PART OF THE TOTAL REMUNERATION . AS A RESULT , THE MORE A WEAK CURRENCY WAS DEVALUED , THE GREATER WAS THE DECREASE OF THE PORTION OF THE TOTAL REMUNERATION REQUIRED FOR THE TRANSFER OF A SPECIFIC AMOUNT TO A COUNTRY WITH A STRONG CURRENCY .
33 ON THE OTHER HAND , AFTER THE AMENDMENT TO THE STAFF REGULATIONS RESULTING FROM REGULATION NO 3085/78 , IT WAS POSSIBLE TO RESTORE THE PROPER FUNCTION OF THE WEIGHTING , NAMELY THAT OF REFLECTING THE LIVING CONDITIONS IN THE VARIOUS PLACES OF EMPLOYMENT . ALTHOUGH THE COST OF THE TRANSFERS WAS RENDERED LESS FAVOURABLE , THE SYSTEM NEVERTHELESS CONTINUED TO BENEFIT OFFICIALS EMPLOYED IN A COUNTRY WITH A WEAK CURRENCY .
34 IT APPEARS THEREFORE THAT EVEN THOUGH THERE MAY BE LIMITS ON THE POWERS OF THE COMMUNITY LEGISLATURE TO REDUCE THE BENEFITS ENJOYED BY OFFICIALS UNDER A SYSTEM PROVIDED FOR IN THE