EU policy on mandatory retirement

Question for written answer
to the Commission
Rule 130
Alfred Sant (S&D)

E-005689-16
Subject: EU policy on mandatory retirement

The Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (Article 19) allows the EU to put in place legislation combatting discrimination based on age. Article 10 TFEU lays down that the Union shall aim to combat discrimination when defining and implementing its policies and activities.
1. Can the Commission point to EU legislation that prohibits the compulsory retirement of an EU worker based on an obligatory retirement age?
2. Can the Commission provide information on any proposals or plans aimed at the prohibition of such practice within the EU?

Answer given by Ms Jourová on behalf of the Commission
Directive 2000/78(1) prohibits discrimination on the grounds of age, this prohibition being applicable both to public and private sectors in relation to employment and working conditions, including dismissals.
Article 6 of the directive provides, in certain situations, a justification for differences of treatment on grounds of age. Any derogation must be objectively and reasonably justified by a legitimate aim, including employment policy or labour market objectives, and the means of achieving the aim must be appropriate and necessary.
This derogation creates the possibility to justify mandatory retirement ages. The case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has shed some light on the requirements for the admissibility of such different treatment.
Among the objectives accepted by the CJEU as legitimate in that context on the basis of a broad discretion of Member States figure the promotion of employment for certain categories of workers(2) facing difficulties in finding work, solidarity between generations in the distribution of employment opportunities(3) and the quality of the activities carried out, inter alia, by promoting the exchange of experience and innovation(4). But beyond the existence of a legitimate objective it needs to be examined for each individual situation whether the means of achieving that objective are appropriate and necessary, the entitlement to a pension being of particular importance.

E-005689-16
Suġġett: Politika tal-UE dwar l-irtirar obbligatorju

It-Trattat dwar il-Funzjonament tal-Unjoni Ewropea (l-Artikolu 19) jippermetti lill-UE timplimenta leġiżlazzjoni li tiġġieled kontra d-diskriminazzjoni bbażata fuq l-età. L-Artikolu 10 tat-TFUE jistabbilixxi li l-Unjoni għandha tfittex li tiġġieled kontra d-diskriminazzjoni meta tiddefinixxi u timplimenta l-politiki u l-attivitajiet tagħha.
1. Tista’ l-Kummissjoni tindika leġiżlazzjoni tal-UE li tipprojbixxi l-irtirar obbligatorju ta’ ħaddiem tal-UE bbażat fuq l-età tal-irtirar obbligatorju?
2. Tista’ l-Kummissjoni tagħti informazzjoni dwar kwalunkwe proposta jew pjan li għandhom l-għan li jipprojbixxu din il-prattika fl-UE?

Tweġiba mogħtija mis-Sinjura Jourová f’isem il-Kummissjoni
Id-Direttiva 2000/78(1) tipprojbixxi kull diskriminazzjoni bbażata fuq l-età, b’din il-projbizzjoni applikabbli kemm għas-settur pubbliku u kemm għas-settur privat f’dak li jirrigwarda l-kundizzjonijiet tal-impjieg u tax-xogħol, inklużi s-sensji.
L-Artikolu 6 tad-Direttiva jipprovdi, f’ċerti sitwazzjonijiet, ġustifikazzjoni għal trattament differenti minħabba l-età. Kull deroga trid tkun ġustifikata oġġettivament u raġonevolment permezz ta’ għan leġittimu, inklużi l-politika tal-impjiegi jew l-objettivi tas-suq tax-xogħol, u l-mezzi biex jintlaħaq l-għan iridu jkunu adatti u meħtieġa.
Din id-deroga toħloq il-possibbiltà li jkunu ġustifikati l-etajiet obbligatorji tal-irtirar. Il-każistika tal-Qorti tal-Ġustizzja tal-Unjoni Ewropea (QĠUE) tefgħet ftit dawl fuq ir-rekwiżiti għall-ammissibbiltà ta’ trattament differenti bħal dan.
Fost l-objettivi aċċettata mill-QĠUE bħala leġittima f’dan il-kuntest fuq il-bażi ta’ marġni ta’ diskrezzjoni wiesa’ tal-Istati Membri figura l-promozzjoni tal-impjieg ta’ ċerti kategoriji ta’ ħaddiema(2) li qed jiffaċċjaw diffikultajiet biex isibu xogħol, solidarjetà bejn il-ġenerazzjonijiet fid-distribuzzjoni ta’ opportunitajiet ta’ impjieg(3) u l-kwalità tal-attivitajiet li jsiru, inter alia, billi jiġi promoss l-iskambju ta’ esperjenza u l-innovazzjoni(4). Iżda lil hinn mill-eżistenza ta’ għan leġittimu, jeħtieġ jiġi eżaminat għal kull sitwazzjoni individwali jekk il-mezzi ta’ ksib ta’ dan l-għan humiex xierqa u neċessarji, b’importanza partikulari għall-intitolament għall-pensjoni