IT MUST BE STATED THAT IN ORDER TO FALL WITHIN THE FIELD OF SOCIAL SECURITY COVERED BY REGULATION NO 1408/71 THE LEGISLATION AT ISSUE MUST IN ANY EVENT SATISFY , IN PARTICULAR , THE CONDITION OF COVERING ONE OF THE RISKS SPECIFIED IN ARTICLE 4 ( 1 ) OF THE REGULATION . IT FOLLOWS THAT THE LIST OF RISKS CONTAINED IN THAT PARAGRAPH IS EXHAUSTIVE AND THAT , AS A RESULT , A BRANCH OF SOCIAL SECURITY NOT MENTIONED IN THE LIST DOES NOT FALL WITHIN THAT CATEGORY EVEN IF IT CONFERS UPON INDIVIDUALS A LEGALLY DEFINED POSITION ENTITLING THEM TO BENEFITS .
20 AS IS CLEAR FROM DOCUMENTS BEFORE THE COURT , THE ' MINIMEX ' IS CHARACTERIZED ON THE ONE HAND BY THE FACT THAT IT CONFERS UPON RECIPIENTS A LEGALLY DEFINED POSITION AND ON THE OTHER BY THE FACT THAT IT IS GRANTED TO ANY PERSON WHO DOES NOT HAVE ADEQUATE MEANS AND IS UNABLE TO ' OBTAIN THEM EITHER BY HIS OWN EFFORTS OR IN ANY OTHER WAY ' ( ARTICLE 1 ( 1 ) OF THE LAW OF 7 AUGUST 1974 ); IT THUS ADOPTS NEED AS AN ESSENTIAL CRITERION FOR ITS APPLICATION AND DOES NOT MAKE ANY STIPULATIONS AS TO PERIODS OF WORK , CONTRIBUTION OR AFFILIATION TO ANY PARTICULAR SOCIAL SECURITY BODY COVERING A SPECIFIC RISK . A CLAIMANT NEED ONLY SHOW THAT ' HE IS PREPARED TO ACCEPT WORK ' UNLESS PREVENTED BY HIS STATE OF HEALTH OR COMPELLING SOCIAL REASONS ; FURTHERMORE , HE IS REQUIRED TO EXERCISE HIS RIGHTS TO SOCIAL BENEFITS OR EVEN ANY RIGHTS TO MAINTENANCE IF THE PUBLIC SOCIAL WELFARE CENTRE CONSIDERS IT NECESSARY ( ARTICLE 6 ( 1 ) AND ( 2 ) OF THE 1974 LAW ).
21 IT FOLLOWS THAT AN ALLOWANCE LIKE THE ONE AT ISSUE , BEING A GENERAL SOCIAL BENEFIT , CANNOT BE CLASSIFIED UNDER ONE OF THE BRANCHES OF SOCIAL SECURITY LISTED IN ARTICLE 4 ( 1 ) OF REGULATION NO 1408/71 AND THEREFORE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFIT WITHIN THE SPECIFIC MEANING OF THAT REGULATION .
22 IT SHOULD THEN BE EXAMINED WHETHER SUCH ENTITLEMENT MAY BE REGARDED AS A SOCIAL ADVANTAGE WITHIN THE MEANING OF REGULATION NO . 1612/68 , TO WHICH QUESTION ( 1 ) SUBMITTED TO THE COURT SPECIFICALLY REFERS .
23 PARAGRAPHS ( 1 ) AND ( 2 ) OF ARTICLE 7 OF THAT REGULATION READ AS FOLLOWS :
' ( 1 ) A WORKER WHO IS A NATIONAL OF A MEMBER STATE MAY NOT , IN THE TERRITORY OF ANOTHER MEMBER STATE , BE TREATED DIFFERENTLY FROM NATIONAL WORKERS BY REASON OF HIS NATIONALITY IN RESPECT OF ANY CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT AND WORK , IN PARTICULAR AS REGARDS REMUNERATION , DISMISSAL , AND SHOULD HE BECOME UNEMPLOYED , REINSTATEMENT OR RE-EMPLOYMENT .
( 2)HE SHALL ENJOY THE SAME SOCIAL AND TAX ADVANTAGES AS NATIONAL WORKERS . '
24 AS THE COURT HAS STATED IN A NUMBER OF DECISIONS , IT FOLLOWS FROM