CELEX: C1998/209/45
Language: en
Date: 1998-07-04 00:00:00
Title: Reference for a preliminary ruling by the Third Chamber of the Tribunal de Travail, Mons, by judgment of that court of 21 April 1998, in the case of Georges Platbrood v. Office National des Pensions (ONP) (Case C-161/98)

4.7.98                EN                 Official Journal of the European Communities                                        C 209/23
     subsequently amended, and in particular Articles 3(1),         presumption in respect of the war years if the person
     5(3) and 6(2) thereof, valid, in the light of Article 40       concerned can claim a pension under a foreign scheme for
     and Articles 30 to 36 of the EC Treaty?                        those periods of employment) constitute a clause for
                                                                    reduction, suspension or withdrawal declared inapplicable
(1) OJ L 170, 28.6.1997, p. 3.                                      by the new provisions of Regulation (EEC) No 1248/92?
(2) OJ L 177, 1.7.1981, p. 4.
                                                                    (1) Council Regulation (EEC) No 1248/92 of 30 April 1992
                                                                        amending Regulation (EEC) No 1408/71 on the application of
                                                                        social security schemes¼ (OJ L 136, 19.5.1992, p. 7).
Reference for a preliminary ruling by the Third Chamber
of the Tribunal de Travail, Mons, by judgment of that
court of 21 April 1998, in the case of Georges Platbrood            Reference for a preliminary ruling from the
           v. Office National des Pensions (ONP)                    Oberlandesgericht Köln, by order of that court of
                       (Case C-161/98)                              13 March 1998 in proceedings concerning an
                                                                       administrative fine imposed on Hans-Jürgen Hartmann
                         (98/C 209/45)
                                                                                             (Case C-162/98)
                                                                                              (98/C 209/46)
Reference has been made to the Court of Justice of the
European Communities by judgment of the Third
                                                                    Reference has been made to the Court of Justice of the
Chamber of the Tribunal de Travail (Labour Tribunal),
                                                                    European Communities by order of the Oberlandesgericht
Mons, of 21 April 1998, which was received at the Court
                                                                    Köln (Higher Regional Court, Cologne) of 13 March
Registry on 27 April 1998, for a preliminary ruling in the
                                                                    1998, received at the Court Registry on 27 April 1998, for
case of Georges Platbrood v. Office National des Pensions
                                                                    a preliminary ruling in the proceedings concerning an
(ONP), on the following questions:
                                                                    administrative fine imposed on Hans-Jürgen Hartmann,
                                                                    on the following question (1):
Do the new provisions in Regulation (EEC) No 1248/92
requiere Belgium to grant a beneficiary the right to a              Does the exemption from charges afforded to motor
retirement pension calculated on the basis of a work                vehicles belonging to road maintenance and operation
record comprising in part years in the course of which              services' apply only to vehicles belonging to regional and/
presumed or notional contributions must be taken into               or local authorities, or does it also apply to vehicles
account Ð unless the person concerned can claim a                   belonging to private contractors acting on behalf of such
pension under a foreign scheme for those periods of                 authorities?
employment (principle that there is a legal presumption in
respect of the war years, as laid down by Article 32(1) of          In the latter case:
the Royal Decree of 21 December 1967 establishing
general rules for the retirement and survival pension               does the exemption from charges apply only in respect of
scheme for employees prior to its repeal by the Royal               journeys undertaken for that purpose, or does it apply
Decree of 14 December 1990 Ð although it remains                    generally to all journeys made using such vehicles, thus
applicable to retirement pensions which became payable              including those undertaken on business relating to the
for the first time before 1 January 1991) in circumstances          contractor's manufacturing operations?
where, specifically, the person concerned has been
awarded a retirement pension payable by Germany on the              (1) Concerning the interpretation of Article 4(1) of the Agreement
basis of actual contributions corresponding to the                      of 9 February 1994 on the levying of charges for the use of
presumed or notional contributions which may be taken                   certain roads by heavy commercial vehicles (Bundesgesetzblatt
                                                                        [Federal Gazette], Part II, p. 1768).
into account under the Belgian legislation?
In other words, must the new provisions of Regulation
(EEC) No 1248/92 (1) be interpreted as authorising
overlapping, without reduction, suspension or withdrawal
of a retirement pension awarded to a Belgian, payable by            Reference for a preliminary ruling by the Seventh
Belgium and calculated on the basis of presumed or                  Chamber of the Tribunal Correctionel, Arlon, by
notional contributions by virtue of the principle that there        judgment of that court of 2 April 1998 in the case of
is a legal presumption in respect of the war years, as laid         MinisteÁre Public against AndreÂ Mazzoleni Ð parties
down by Article 32(1) of the Royal Decree of 21 December            claiming damages: Eric Guillaume, Michel Pedon,
1967 (subject to the reservation contained in that                  Christian Fondeur, Christian Simonin, JeÂrôme Canini;
provision whereby the person concerned may not,                      liable under civil law: Inter Surveillance Assistance SARL
however, claim a pension under a foreign scheme for those                                    (Case C-165/98)
periods of employment) with the benefit of a retirement
pension payable by Germany calculated on the basis of                                         (98/C 209/47)
actual contributions covering the same period or, on the
contrary, might the exception provided for by Article 32(1)         Reference has been made to the Court of Justice of the
of the Royal Decree of 21 December 1967 (no legal                   European Communities by judgment of the Seventh