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PARALLEL TEXTS
La legge regionale della Comunità fiamminga che impone di redigere in neerlandese tutti i contratti riguardanti un rapporto di lavoro a carattere transfrontaliero viola la libera circolazione dei lavoratori
Inglese tratto da:
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_CJE-13-46_en.htm
Italiano tratto da:
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_CJE-13-46_it.htm
Data documento: 16-04-2013
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Decree of the Flemish Community requiring all cross-border employment contracts to be drafted in Dutch infringes freedom of movement for workers
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La legge regionale della Comunità fiamminga che impone di redigere in neerlandese tutti i contratti riguardanti un rapporto di lavoro a carattere transfrontaliero viola la libera circolazione dei lavoratori
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In the particular context of a cross-border employment contract, such a linguistic obligation is disproportionate to the objectives invoked by Belgium (protection of a national language, protection of employees and effective supervision by the national authorities)
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Nel particolare contesto di un contratto a carattere transfrontaliero, un siffatto obbligo linguistico è sproporzionato rispetto agli obiettivi invocati dal Belgio (tutela di una lingua nazionale, tutela dei lavoratori e controllo efficace da parte delle autorità nazionali)
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In Belgium, a decree of the Flemish Community requires the use of Dutch, inter alia, for the drafting of employment contracts concluded between employees and employers, where the employer’s established place of business is in the Dutch-language region.
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In Belgio, una legge regionale della Comunità fiamminga impone l’uso del neerlandese in particolare per redigere contratti di lavoro conclusi tra lavoratori e datori di lavoro la cui sede di gestione è situata nella regione di lingua neerlandese.
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Non-compliance with that linguistic obligation results in the nullity of the employment contract, but without prejudice to the employee or to the rights of third parties.
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L’inosservanza di tale obbligo linguistico comporta la nullità del contratto di lavoro, senza per questo arrecare pregiudizio al lavoratore o ai diritti dei terzi.
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Mr Anton Las, a Netherlands national resident in the Netherlands, was hired in 2004 as a Chief Financial Officer by PSA Antwerp, a company established in Antwerp (Belgium) but belonging to a multinational group whose registered office is in Singapore.
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Il signor Anton Las, cittadino neerlandese residente nei Paesi Bassi, è stato assunto nel 2004 in qualità di «Chief Financial Officer» dalla PSA Antwerp, società con sede in Anversa (Belgio), ma appartenente ad un gruppo multinazionale con sede a Singapore.
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The employment contract, drafted in English, stipulated that Mr Las was to carry out his work in Belgium.
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Il contratto di lavoro, redatto in inglese, disponeva che il signor Las svolgeva il suo lavoro in Belgio.
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In 2009, by a letter drafted in English, Mr Las was dismissed by PSA Antwerp, who paid him a severance allowance calculated on the basis of his employment contract.
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Nel 2009, con lettera redatta in inglese, il signor Las è stato licenziato dalla PSA Antwerp che gli ha versato un’indennità di licenziamento, calcolata in applicazione del contratto di lavoro.
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Mr Las brought an action before the Arbeidsrechtbank (Labour Court, Belgium) claiming that the provisions of the employment contract were null and void because they infringed the provisions of the Flemish Decree on Use of Languages.
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Il signor Las ha adito l’Arbeidsrechtbank (Tribunale del lavoro), sostenendo che le disposizioni del contratto di lavoro erano viziate da nullità, per violazione della legge regionale della Comunità fiamminga sull’uso delle lingue.
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He sought, inter alia, a higher severance allowance, in accordance with Belgian employment law.
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Egli ha in particolare richiesto un’indennità di licenziamento più elevata, conformemente al diritto del lavoro belga.
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The Belgian court asks the Court of Justice whether the Flemish Decree on Use of Languages infringes freedom of movement for workers within the EU, in that it imposes an obligation on all undertakings established in the Dutch-language region, when hiring a worker for a cross-border post, to draft all documents relating to the employment relationship in Dutch, failing which the contract is to be declared null and void by the national courts of their own motion.
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Il giudice belga chiede alla Corte di giustizia se la legge regionale della Comunità fiamminga sull’uso delle lingue violi la libera circolazione dei lavoratori nell’Unione europea, in quanto ad ogni impresa con sede nella regione di lingua neerlandese che assuma un lavoratore per un lavoro a carattere transfrontaliero impone
-a pena di nullità rilevata d’ufficio dal giudice - di redigere in neerlandese tutti i documenti relativi al rapporto di lavoro.
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In its judgment delivered today, the Court points out, first, that the employment contract at issue falls within the scope of freedom of movement for workers, since it was concluded between a Netherlands national, resident in the Netherlands, and a company established in Belgian territory.
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Nella sua odierna sentenza, la Corte rileva preliminarmente che il contratto di cui trattasi rientra nell’ambito della libera circolazione dei lavoratori, dato che è stato concluso tra un cittadino neerlandese residente nei Paesi Bassi ed una società che ha sede nel territorio belga.
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In addition, the principle of freedom of movement may be relied on not only by workers, but also by employers.
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Questo principio può essere invocato non solo da un lavoratore, ma anche da un datore di lavoro.
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The Court points out that the provisions relating to freedom of movement for workers are intended to facilitate the pursuit of occupational activities of all kinds throughout the EU, and preclude measures which might place EU nationals at a disadvantage when they wish to pursue an economic activity in the territory of another Member State.
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La Corte sottolinea che l’insieme delle disposizioni relative alla libera circolazione dei lavoratori mira ad agevolare l’esercizio delle attività lavorative nel territorio dell’Unione e non tollera provvedimenti che possano sfavorire i cittadini dell’Unione, quando essi intendano svolgere un’attività economica nel territorio di un altro Stato membro.
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The Court notes that only the Dutch text is authentic in the drafting of cross-border employment contracts concluded by employers whose established place of business is located in the Dutch?speaking region of Belgium.
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La Corte constata che solo il neerlandese costituisce la versione autentica nella redazione dei contratti di lavoro a carattere transfrontaliero conclusi da datori di lavoro che hanno la propria sede di gestione nella regione di lingua neerlandese del Belgio.
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Consequently, such legislation, which is liable to have a dissuasive effect on non-Dutch-speaking employees and employers from other Member States, constitutes a restriction on freedom of movement for workers.
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Poiché una siffatta normativa può avere un effetto dissuasivo nei confronti dei lavoratori e datori di lavoro non neerlandofoni, essa costituisce una restrizione alla libera circolazione dei lavoratori.
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The Court states that such a restriction is justified only if it pursues an objective in the public interest, is appropriate to ensuring the attainment of that objective, and is strictly proportionate.
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La Corte ricorda che una siffatta restrizione si giustifica solo qualora persegua un obiettivo di interesse generale, sia adeguata a garantire la realizzazione dello stesso e sia rigorosamente proporzionata.
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In response to the justifications advanced by the Belgian Government, the Court points out that EU law does not preclude the adoption of a policy for the protection and promotion of one or more official languages of a Member State.
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In risposta alle giustificazioni invocate dal governo belga, la Corte rileva che il diritto dell'Unione non si oppone ad una politica di difesa e valorizzazione di una o delle lingue ufficiali di uno Stato membro.
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The EU must respect its rich cultural and linguistic diversity.
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L’Unione infatti rispetta la ricchezza della sua diversità culturale e linguistica.
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It must also respect the national identity of its Member States, which includes protection of the official language or languages of those States.
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Essa rispetta parimenti l’identità nazionale degli Stati membri, in cui rientra anche la tutela della o delle loro lingue ufficiali.
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The Court also examines the objectives raised by Belgium concerning the protection of employees, which consists of enabling them to examine employment documents in their own language and to enjoy the effective protection of their representative bodies and national authorities, and the efficacy of the checks and supervision of the Employment Inspectorate.
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La Corte esamina altresì gli obiettivi invocati dal Belgio relativi alla tutela sociale dei lavoratori, che consiste nel consentire loro di prendere conoscenza dei documenti sociali nella propria lingua, nonché di beneficiare della tutela effettiva delle istituzioni che li rappresentano e delle autorità nazionali, nonché all’efficacia dei controlli e della sorveglianza da parte dell’ispettorato del lavoro.
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The Court accepts that those objectives are among the overriding reasons in the general interest capable of justifying a restriction on freedom of movement for workers.
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La Corte riconosce che tali obiettivi figurano tra le ragioni imperative di interesse generale idonee a giustificare una restrizione alla libera circolazione dei lavoratori.
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However, it is apparent from the contested decree that the penalty for breach of the obligation to draft in Dutch an employment contract concluded between a worker and an employer whose established place of business is located in the Dutch-speaking region of the Kingdom of Belgium is the nullity of that contract, which must be declared by the national courts of their own motion provided that that decision does not adversely affect the worker and is without prejudice to the rights of third parties.
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Dalla legge regionale contestata risulta tuttavia che la violazione dell’obbligo di redigere in neerlandese tutti i contratti di lavoro conclusi tra un lavoratore e un datore di lavoro con sede nella regione di lingua neerlandese è sanzionata con la nullità del contratto, che dev’essere dichiarata d’ufficio dal giudice, sempreché essa non danneggi il lavoratore e non pregiudichi i diritti dei terzi.
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Yet parties to a cross-border employment contract do not necessarily have knowledge of Dutch.
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Orbene, le parti di un contratto di lavoro a carattere transfrontaliero non hanno necessariamente la padronanza del neerlandese.
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In such a situation, the establishment of free and informed consent between the parties requires those parties to be able to draft their contract in a language other than the official language of that Member State.
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In simili circostanze, la formazione di un consenso libero tra le parti richiede che esse possano redigere il contratto in una lingua diversa dalla lingua ufficiale di tale Stato membro.
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Moreover, the Court continues, legislation which would also permit the drafting of an authentic version in a language known to all the parties concerned would be less prejudicial to freedom of movement for workers while being appropriate for securing the objectives pursued by that legislation.
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Peraltro, prosegue la Corte, una normativa che consentisse anche di redigere una versione autentica in una lingua conosciuta da tutte le parti interessate sarebbe meno lesiva della libera circolazione dei lavoratori, pur garantendo gli obiettivi perseguiti dalla normativa medesima.
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Therefore, according to the Court, the contested decree goes beyond what is strictly necessary to attain the objectives invoked and cannot be regarded as proportionate.
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Pertanto, secondo la Corte, la legge regionale contestata eccede quanto strettamente necessario per realizzare gli obiettivi invocati e non può essere considerata proporzionata.
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In those circumstances, the Court holds that the contested decree which requires all employers whose established place of business is located in Flanders to draft all cross-border employment contracts exclusively in Dutch is in breach of EU law.
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Alla luce di ciò, la Corte statuisce che la legge regionale che impone
- a pena di nullità - a tutti i datori di lavoro che hanno la propria sede di gestione nelle Fiandre di redigere tutti i contratti di lavoro a carattere transfrontaliero esclusivamente in neerlandese è contraria al diritto dell'Unione.
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NOTE:
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IMPORTANTE:
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A reference for a preliminary ruling allows the courts and tribunals of the Member States, in disputes which have been brought before them, to refer questions to the Court of Justice about the interpretation of European Union law or the validity of a European Union act.
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Il rinvio pregiudiziale consente ai giudici degli Stati membri, nell'ambito di una controversia della quale sono investiti, di interpellare la Corte in merito all’interpretazione del diritto dell’Unione o alla validità di un atto dell’Unione.
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The Court of Justice does not decide the dispute itself.
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La Corte non risolve la controversia nazionale.
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It is for the national court or tribunal to dispose of the case in accordance with the Court’s decision, which is similarly binding on other national courts or tribunals before which a similar issue is raised.
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Spetta al giudice nazionale risolvere la causa conformemente alla decisione della Corte. Tale decisione vincola egualmente gli altri giudici nazionali ai quali venga sottoposto un problema simile.
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LISTEN WITH READSPEAKER
Decree of the Flemish Community requiring all cross-border employment
contracts to be drafted in Dutch infringes freedom of movement for workers
In the particular context of a cross-border employment contract,
such a linguistic obligation is disproportionate to the objectives invoked by
Belgium (protection of a national language, protection of employees and
effective supervision by the national authorities)
In Belgium, a decree of the Flemish Community requires the use of
Dutch, inter alia, for the drafting of employment contracts concluded between
employees and employers, where the employer’s established place of business is
in the Dutch-language region.
Non-compliance with that linguistic obligation results in the nullity
of the employment contract, but without prejudice to the employee or to the
rights of third parties.
Mr Anton Las, a Netherlands national resident in the Netherlands, was
hired in 2004 as a Chief Financial Officer by PSA Antwerp, a company established
in Antwerp (Belgium) but belonging to a multinational group whose registered
office is in Singapore.
The employment contract, drafted in English, stipulated that Mr Las was
to carry out his work in Belgium.
In 2009, by a letter drafted in English, Mr Las was dismissed by PSA
Antwerp, who paid him a severance allowance calculated on the basis of his
employment contract.
Mr Las brought an action before the Arbeidsrechtbank (Labour Court,
Belgium) claiming that the provisions of the employment contract were null and
void because they infringed the provisions of the Flemish Decree on Use of
Languages.
He sought, inter alia, a higher severance allowance, in accordance with
Belgian employment law.
The Belgian court asks the Court of Justice whether the Flemish Decree
on Use of Languages infringes freedom of movement for workers within the EU, in
that it imposes an obligation on all undertakings established in the
Dutch-language region, when hiring a worker for a cross-border post, to draft
all documents relating to the employment relationship in Dutch, failing which
the contract is to be declared null and void by the national courts of their own
motion.
In its judgment delivered today, the Court points out, first, that the
employment contract at issue falls within the scope of freedom of movement for
workers, since it was concluded between a Netherlands national, resident in the
Netherlands, and a company established in Belgian territory.
In addition, the principle of freedom of movement may be relied on not
only by workers, but also by employers.
The Court points out that the provisions relating to freedom of
movement for workers are intended to facilitate the pursuit of occupational
activities of all kinds throughout the EU, and preclude measures which might
place EU nationals at a disadvantage when they wish to pursue an economic
activity in the territory of another Member State.
The Court notes that only the Dutch text is authentic in the drafting
of cross-border employment contracts concluded by employers whose established
place of business is located in the Dutch?speaking region of Belgium.
Consequently, such legislation, which is liable to have a dissuasive
effect on non-Dutch-speaking employees and employers from other Member States,
constitutes a restriction on freedom of movement for workers.
The Court states that such a restriction is justified only if it
pursues an objective in the public interest, is appropriate to ensuring the
attainment of that objective, and is strictly proportionate.
In response to the justifications advanced by the Belgian Government,
the Court points out that EU law does not preclude the adoption of a policy for
the protection and promotion of one or more official languages of a Member
State.
The EU must respect its rich cultural and linguistic diversity.
It must also respect the national identity of its Member States, which
includes protection of the official language or languages of those States.
The Court also examines the objectives raised by Belgium concerning the
protection of employees, which consists of enabling them to examine employment
documents in their own language and to enjoy the effective protection of their
representative bodies and national authorities, and the efficacy of the checks
and supervision of the Employment Inspectorate.
The Court accepts that those objectives are among the overriding
reasons in the general interest capable of justifying a restriction on freedom
of movement for workers.
However, it is apparent from the contested decree that the penalty for
breach of the obligation to draft in Dutch an employment contract concluded
between a worker and an employer whose established place of business is located
in the Dutch-speaking region of the Kingdom of Belgium is the nullity of that
contract, which must be declared by the national courts of their own motion
provided that that decision does not adversely affect the worker and is without
prejudice to the rights of third parties.
Yet parties to a cross-border employment contract do not necessarily
have knowledge of Dutch.
In such a situation, the establishment of free and informed consent
between the parties requires those parties to be able to draft their contract in
a language other than the official language of that Member State.
Moreover, the Court continues, legislation which would also permit the
drafting of an authentic version in a language known to all the parties
concerned would be less prejudicial to freedom of movement for workers while
being appropriate for securing the objectives pursued by that legislation.
Therefore, according to the Court, the contested decree goes beyond
what is strictly necessary to attain the objectives invoked and cannot be
regarded as proportionate.
In those circumstances, the Court holds that the contested decree which
requires all employers whose established place of business is located in
Flanders to draft all cross-border employment contracts exclusively in Dutch is
in breach of EU law.
NOTE:
A reference for a preliminary ruling allows the courts and tribunals of
the Member States, in disputes which have been brought before them, to refer
questions to the Court of Justice about the interpretation of European Union law
or the validity of a European Union act.
The Court of Justice does not decide the dispute itself.
It is for the national court or tribunal to dispose of the case in
accordance with the Court’s decision, which is similarly binding on other
national courts or tribunals before which a similar issue is raised.
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