Avis juridique important

61978J0009

European Court reports 1978 Page 01661 Greek special edition Page 00541 Portuguese special edition Page 00587

Summary

1 . SOCIAL SECURITY FOR MIGRANT WORKERS - COMMUNITY RULES - SUBSTANTIVE FIELD OF APPLICATION - BENEFITS COVERED AND BENEFITS EXCLUDED - DISTINCTION ( REGULATION NO 1408/71 OF THE COUNCIL , ARTICLE 4 ( 1 ) AND ( 4 ))

2 . SOCIAL SECURITY FOR MIGRANT WORKERS - COMMUNITY RULES - SUBSTANTIVE FIELD OF APPLICATION - BENEFITS EXCLUDED - OLD-AGE BENEFITS FOR FORMER PRISONERS OF WAR ( REGULATION NO 1408/71 OF THE COUNCIL , ARTICLE 4 ( 4 ))

Parties

IN CASE 9/78 ,

REFERENCE TO THE COURT UNDER ARTICLE 177 OF THE EEC TREATY BY THE COUR D ' APPEL ( COURT OF APPEAL ), NANCY , ( SOCIAL CHAMBER ), FOR A PRELIMINARY RULING IN THE ACTION PENDING BEFORE THAT COURT BETWEEN

DIRECTEUR REGIONAL DE LA SECURITE SOCIALE DE NANCY ( REGIONAL DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL SECURITY , NANCY ),

1 . PAULIN GILLARD , BELGIUM , AND

2 . CAISSE REGIONALE D ' ASSURANCE MALADIE DU NORD-EST ( NORTH-EAST REGIONAL SICKNESS INSURANCE FUND ), NANCY ,

Subject of the case

ON THE INTERPRETATION OF CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF REGULATION NO 1408/71 OF THE COUNCIL OF 14 JUNE 1971 ON THE APPLICATION OF SOCIAL SECURITY SCHEMES TO EMPLOYED PERSONS AND THEIR FAMILIES MOVING WITHIN THE COMMUNITY ( OFFICIAL JOURNAL , ENGLISH SPECIAL EDITION 1971 ( II ), P . 416 ),

Grounds

1 BY JUDGMENT OF 24 JANUARY 1978 , RECEIVED AT THE COURT REGISTRY ON 27 JANUARY 1978 , THE COUR D ' APPEL , NANCY , HAS PUT TO THE COURT OF JUSTICE IN PURSUANCE OF ARTICLE 177 OF THE EEC TREATY , QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE INTERPRETATION OF REGULATION NO 1408/71 OF THE COUNCIL ON THE APPLICATION OF SOCIAL SECURITY SCHEMES TO EMPLOYED PERSONS AND THEIR FAMILIES MOVING WITHIN THE COMMUNITY ( OFFICIAL JOURNAL , ENGLISH SPECIAL EDITION 1971 ( II ), P . 416 ).

2 THESE QUESTIONS HAVE ARISEN IN THE CONTEXT OF AN ACTION BETWEEN THE DIRECTEUR REGIONAL DE LA SECURITE SOCIALE DE NANCY ( REGIONAL DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL SECURITY , NANCY ), AND A BELGIAN NATIONAL RECEIVING UNDER FRENCH LEGISLATION AN ADVANCE OLD-AGE PENSION AT THE NORMAL RATE OF 25% OF HIS ANNUAL AVERAGE WAGE , AWARDED AT HIS REQUEST AT THE AGE OF 60 .

3 THE INSURED PERSON , WHO , AS A MEMBER OF THE BELGIAN ARMED FORCES , WAS A PRISONER OF WAR IN GERMANY FOR MORE THAN 60 MONTHS , CLAIMED , ON THE BASIS OF A DOCUMENT ISSUED BY THE BELGIAN MINISTRY FOR DEFENCE AND IN RELIANCE ON THE PRINCIPLE OF EQUALITY OF TREATMENT BETWEEN NATIONAL WORKERS AND WORKERS WHO ARE NATIONALS OF ANOTHER MEMBER STATE , WHICH IS TO BE FOUND IN REGULATION NO 1408/71 , THAT THE PROVISIONS OF ARTICLE L 382 ( 2 ) OF THE FRENCH CODE DE LA SECURITE SOCIALE , AS SUPPLEMENTED BY LAW NO 73-1051 OF 21 NOVEMBER 1973 , WERE APPLICABLE TO HIM .

4 ACCORDING TO THOSE PROVISIONS , THE OLD-AGE PENSION GRANTED TO WORKERS , EX- SERVICEMEN OR FORMER PRISONERS OF WAR IS CALCULATED AT THE RATE NORMALLY APPLICABLE AT 65 , NAMELY 50 % OF THE BASIC WAGE , WHEN , AT THEIR REQUEST , THEIR PENSION IS AWARDED AT AN AGE BETWEEN 61 AND 60 , FOR THOSE WHOSE CAPTIVITY LASTED FOR AT LEAST 54 MONTHS .

5 BY VIRTUE OF THE LAST SUBPARAGRAPH OF ARTICLE 1 ( 1 ) AND OF PARAGRAPH ( 2 ) OF THE SAME ARTICLE OF DECREE NO 74-1199 OF 31 DECEMBER 1974 , AMENDING DECREE NO 74-54 OF 23 JANUARY 1974 , IN IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ABOVE- MENTIONED LAW , THE SAID BENEFIT IS ONLY GRANTED IF THE PERSONS CONCERNED PROVE THE DURATION OF THEIR CAPTIVITY AND THEIR MILITARY SERVICE IN WARTIME IN THE FRENCH OR ALLIED FORCES ' ' BY PRODUCING THEIR SERVICE RECORD OR A CERTIFICATE ISSUED BY THE COMPETENT MILITARY AUTHORITY OR BY THE MINISTRY FOR EX-SERVICEMEN OR THE NATIONAL EX-SERVICEMEN ' S OFFICE ' ' .

6 THE SOCIAL SECURITY INSTITUTION REJECTED THAT APPLICATION , POINTING OUT INTER ALIA THAT THE ENTITLEMENT OF FORMER PRISONERS OF WAR CONFERRED BY THE FRENCH LAW CONSTITUTES ONE OF THE ' ' BENEFIT SCHEMES FOR VICTIMS OF WAR OR ITS CONSEQUENCES ' ' REFERRED TO BY ARTICLE 4 ( 4 ) OF REGULATION NO 1408/71 AND THEREFORE DOES NOT COME WITHIN THE FIELD OF APPLICATION OF THAT REGULATION .

7 CONSEQUENTLY , IT STATED , THE INSURED PERSON COULD NOT RELY ON THE PROVISIONS OF REGULATION NO 1408/71 TO CLAIM THE BENEFIT IN QUESTION IN THIS CASE IN PURSUANCE OF THE PRINCIPLE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION LAID DOWN BY THOSE PROVISIONS .

8 BY ITS FIRST QUESTION THE NATIONAL COURT ASKS THE COURT OF JUSTICE WHETHER ' ' ARTICLE 4 ( 4 ) OF REGULATION NO 1408/71 , PURSUANT TO WHICH THAT REGULATION IS NOT TO APPLY TO ' BENEFIT SCHEMES FOR VICTIMS OF WAR OR ITS CONSEQUENCES ' , MUST BE INTERPRETED AS MEANING THAT BENEFITS WHICH ARE NOT STRICTLY IN THE NATURE OF COMPENSATION AND ARE PAYABLE TO THOSE WORKERS WHO WERE VICTIMS OF THE WAR ONLY IN SO FAR AS IT DETRIMENTALLY AFFECTED THEIR ACQUISITION OF OLD-AGE PENSION RIGHTS OR SIMILAR RIGHTS , SUCH AS THE OLD-AGE BENEFITS INSTITUTED BY THE FRENCH LAW OF 21 NOVEMBER 1973 - ARTICLE L 332 ( 2 ) OF THE CODE DE LA SECURITE SOCIALE - ARE ALSO EXCLUDED ' ' .

9 IN ORDER TO REPLY TO THAT QUESTION IT IS NECESSARY TO EXAMINE WHETHER AN OLD-AGE BENEFIT SUCH AS THAT REFERRED TO BY THE FRENCH LEGISLATION MAY BE CONSIDERED AS A SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFIT WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 4 ( 1 ) ( C ) OF REGULATION NO 1408/71 AND THUS COMES WITHIN THE SUBSTANTIVE FIELD OF APPLICATION OF THAT REGULATION AS DEFINED BY THE ABOVE-MENTIONED ARTICLE 4 .

10 THE FIRST SENTENCE OF ARTICLE 1 OF LAW NO 73-1051 STATES THAT ' ' THESE PROVISIONS SUPPLEMENT ARTICLE L 332 OF THE CODE DE LA SECURITE SOCIALE ' ' .

11 HOWEVER , THE FACT THAT A PROVISION OF THIS TYPE IS OR IS NOT INSERTED IN NATIONAL SOCIAL SECURITY LEGISLATION IS NOT BY ITSELF DECISIVE IN DETERMINING THAT THE BENEFIT REFERRED TO IN THE ABOVE PROVISION IS A SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFIT WITHIN THE MEANING OF REGULATION NO 1408/71 .

12 IN FACT , THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN BENEFITS WHICH ARE EXCLUDED FROM THE FIELD OF APPLICATION OF REGULATION NO 1408/71 AND BENEFITS WHICH COME WITHIN IT RESTS ENTIRELY ON THE FACTORS RELATING TO EACH BENEFIT , IN PARTICULAR ITS PURPOSE AND THE CONDITIONS FOR ITS GRANT .

13 IT APPEARS FROM THE FILE THAT THE BENEFIT GRANTED IN PURSUANCE OF THE NATIONAL PROVISIONS IN QUESTION HAS THE ESSENTIAL PURPOSE OF PROVIDING FOR FORMER PRISONERS OF WAR WHO PROVE THAT THEY UNDERWENT A LONG PERIOD OF CAPTIVITY TESTIMONY OF NATIONAL GRATITUDE FOR THE HARDSHIPS ENDURED BETWEEN 1939 AND 1945 ON BEHALF OF FRANCE AND ITS ALLIES AND THUS GRANTING THEM , BY AN INCREASE IN THE RATE OF OLD-AGE PENSION , A QUID PRO QUO FOR THE SERVICES RENDERED TO THOSE STATES .

14 HAVING REGARD TO THAT PURPOSE AND THOSE CONDITIONS OF GRANT SUCH A BENEFIT DOES NOT EXHIBIT THE CHARACTERISTICS CONSTITUTING A SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFIT WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 4 ( 1 ) OF REGULATION NO 1408/71 .

15 ARTICLE 4 OF REGULATION NO 1408/71 , IN DEFINING THE MATERIAL FIELD OF APPLICATION OF THAT PROVISION , PROVIDES IN PARAGRAPH ( 4 ) THAT THE REGULATION IS NOT TO APPLY INTER ALIA ' ' TO BENEFIT SCHEMES FOR VICTIMS OF WAR OR ITS CONSEQUENCES ' ' .

16 FOR THOSE REASONS THE REPLY TO THE FIRST QUESTION MUST BE THAT ARTICLE 4 ( 4 ) OF REGULATION NO 1408/71 MUST BE INTERPRETED AS MEANING THAT THE REGULATION DOES NOT APPLY TO SOCIAL BENEFITS FOR FORMER PRISONERS OF WAR SUCH AS THE BENEFIT PROVIDED UNDER THE FRENCH LAW OF 21 NOVEMBER 1973 , ARTICLE L 332 ( 2 ) OF THE CODE DE LA SECURITE SOCIALE .

17 AS A RESULT , THE OTHER QUESTIONS PUT BY THE NATIONAL COURT LOSE THEIR POINT .

Decision on costs

COSTS

18 THE COSTS INCURRED BY THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES , WHICH HAS SUBMITTED OBSERVATIONS TO THE COURT , ARE NOT RECOVERABLE .

19 AS THESE PROCEEDINGS ARE , IN SO FAR AS THE PARTIES TO THE MAIN ACTION ARE CONCERNED , IN THE NATURE OF A STEP IN THE ACTION PENDING BEFORE THE NATIONAL COURT , THE DECISION AS TO COSTS IS A MATTER FOR THAT COURT .

Operative part

ON THOSE GROUNDS ,

IN ANSWER TO THE QUESTION REFERRED TO IT BY THE COUR D ' APPEL , NANCY , BY JUDGMENT OF THAT COURT OF 24 JANUARY 1978 , HEREBY RULES :

ARTICLE 4 ( 4 ) OF REGULATION NO 1408/71 MUST BE INTERPRETED AS MEANING THAT THE REGULATION DOES NOT APPLY TO SOCIAL BENEFITS FOR FORMER PRISONERS OF WAR SUCH AS THE BENEFIT PROVIDED UNDER THE FRENCH LAW OF 21 NOVEMBER 1973 , ARTICLE L 332 ( 2 ) OF THE CODE DE LA SECURITE SOCIALE .