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PARALLEL TEXTS
L'avvocato generale reputa che il Lussemburgo sia legittimato a subordinare al requisito di residenza il versamento del sussidio per gli studi superiori ai figli di lavoratori frontalieri
Inglese tratto da:
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_CJE-13-11_en.htm
Italiano tratto da:
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_CJE-13-11_it.htm
Data documento: 07-02-2013
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According to Advocate General Mengozzi, Luxembourg is justified in making funding of higher education studies for children of frontier workers conditional upon a residence requirement
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L'avvocato generale reputa che il Lussemburgo sia legittimato a subordinare al requisito di residenza il versamento del sussidio per gli studi superiori ai figli di lavoratori frontalieri
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The AG invites the Court to indicate to the referring court the criteria for verifying that such a condition is appropriate and proportional to the objective of ensuring the transition of Luxembourg’s economy towards a knowledge-based economy
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Suggerisce alla Corte di indicare al giudice del rinvio i criteri per verificare che tale requisito sia adeguato e proporzionato all’obiettivo di garantire il passaggio dell’economia lussemburghese a un’economia della conoscenza
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Luxembourg legislation provides that financial aid for higher studies is granted to citizens of Luxembourg and other EU citizens on the condition that they are resident in Luxembourg.
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La normativa lussemburghese è applicata nel senso che è concesso un sussidio finanziario per gli studi superiori ai cittadini lussemburghesi e agli altri cittadini dell'Unione a condizione che gli uni e gli altri risiedano in Lussemburgo.
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Several students, who are children of frontier workers in Luxembourg, brought actions before the Administrative Court of Luxembourg, following a refusal by the Luxembourg authorities to grant them financial aid for their higher education studies on the ground that they were not resident in Luxembourg.
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Sono stati presentati dinanzi al Tribunal administratif de Luxembourg (Tribunale amministrativo di Lussemburgo) vari ricorsi di studenti, figli di lavoratori frontalieri in Lussemburgo, a seguito del rifiuto opposto dalle autorità lussemburghesi di concedere loro il sussidio finanziario per gli studi superiori, in quanto non risiedono in Lussemburgo.
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They challenge that refusal, arguing that the Luxembourg legislation treats the children of Luxembourg workers differently from those of frontier workers, which is contrary to the principle of free movement of persons.
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Essi contestano tale rifiuto, sulla base dell’asserita esistenza di una discriminazione dovuta al fatto che la normativa lussemburghese comporta una differenza di trattamento tra i figli dei lavoratori lussemburghesi e quelli dei lavoratori frontalieri, il che sarebbe contrario al principio della libera circolazione delle persone.
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Luxembourg disputes that there is any discrimination and, in any event, asserts that the financial aid in question does not constitute a social benefit.
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Lo Stato lussemburghese esclude qualsiasi discriminazione e, comunque, sostiene che detti sussidi non costituiscano un vantaggio sociale.
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The request for a preliminary ruling of the Administrative Court of Luxembourg, which seeks guidance from the Court, stems from the idea that, pursuant to Article 203 of the Luxembourg Civil Code, the students in question must be considered to be the financial responsibility of their frontier worker parents.
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La domanda di pronuncia pregiudiziale del Tribunal administratif du Luxembourg, che ha interpellato la Corte, muove dal presupposto secondo cui, ai sensi dell’articolo 203 del codice civile lussemburghese, gli studenti devono essere considerati a carico dei loro genitori lavoratori frontalieri.
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Advocate General Paolo Mengozzi rules out being able to give an opinion with that approach as a starting point because, pursuant to the principles of international private law, those students may be considered to be the responsibility of the frontier worker only where that is the case under the personal law applicable to them, which may be the law of their country of nationality, domicile or residence, but not Luxembourg law.
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L'avvocato generale esclude di poter pronunciarsi muovendo da un siffatto presupposto in quanto, secondo i principi di diritto internazionale privato, tali studenti possono essere considerati a carico di detto frontaliero soltanto se lo sono secondo la legge che ne definisce lo status personale, che può essere la legge dello Stato di cittadinanza, di domicilio o di residenza, ma non il diritto lussemburghese.
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It follows that the referring court may address the problem in practice, only where it establishes not only that the students are part of the household of the frontier workers but also that those workers continue to be responsible for them by providing for them, and verifies also whether those students benefit, actually or potentially, in their country of residence, from a measure comparable to that introduced by the Law of 26 July 1010.
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Ne consegue che il giudice del rinvio potrà porsi concretamente il problema solo dopo avere accertato non solo che gli studenti siano parte della famiglia dei lavoratori frontalieri, ma altresì che siano a carico di questi ultimi, per il fatto che gli stessi continuano a provvedere al loro mantenimento, verificando inoltre se tali studenti beneficino nel loro paese, effettivamente o potenzialmente, di una misura comparabile a quella introdotta con la legge del 26 luglio 2010.
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On the basis of that premise, the Advocate General notes that, in accordance with the Court’s settled case-law:
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Dopo questa premessa, l'avvocato generale osserva che, conformemente a una giurisprudenza già consolidata della Corte:
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support for the higher educational studies of children for which frontier workers are responsible constitutes a social benefit in relation to which they may avail themselves of the principle of non-discrimination laid down in Regulation No 1612/68 relating to freedom of movement of workers within the Community and
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a) il sussidio agli studi superiori per i figli a carico dei lavoratori frontalieri costituisce un vantaggio sociale riguardo al quale questi ultimi hanno il diritto di avvalersi del principio di non discriminazione sancito dal regolamento n. 1612/68, relativo alla libera circolazione dei lavoratori all’interno della Comunità, e
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the requirement of residence, which is liable to work against migrant workers and frontier workers who are nationals of other Member States, inasmuch as it is imposed on students who are children of frontier workers, constitutes indirect discrimination, in principle prohibited, unless it is objectively justified, appropriate for securing the attainment of the objective pursued and does not go beyond what is necessary to attain that objective.
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b) dal momento che il requisito di residenza è tale da operare principalmente a danno dei lavoratori migranti e dei lavoratori frontalieri cittadini di altri Stati membri, lo stesso, nei limiti in cui è imposto a studenti figli di lavoratori frontalieri, costituisce una discriminazione indiretta, in linea di principio vietata, a meno che non sia obiettivamente giustificata, sia idonea a garantire il conseguimento dell’obiettivo di cui trattasi e non ecceda quanto necessario per conseguirlo.
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In order to demonstrate the existence of such a justification, the Luxembourg Government invokes a “political” or “social” objective which is designed to significantly increase the share of Luxembourg residents with a higher education degree and to ensure the transition of the Luxembourg economy towards a knowledge-based economy.
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Al fine di dimostrare l'esistenza di una siffatta giustificazione, il governo lussemburghese invoca un obiettivo «politico» o «sociale», consistente nell’aumentare in misura significativa la percentuale di residenti in Lussemburgo titolari di un diploma di istruzione superiore e di assicurare il passaggio dell’economia lussemburghese ad un’economia della conoscenza.
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Luxembourg residents thus have a connection with Luxembourg society from which it may be presumed that, having benefited from Luxembourg financial aid during their studies, pursued abroad where applicable, they will return to apply the knowledge acquired for the benefit of the development of the national economy.
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I residenti lussemburghesi presenterebbero quindi un legame con la società lussemburghese tale da far presumere che, dopo aver usufruito di un finanziamento lussemburghese dei loro studi, eventualmente seguiti all’estero, essi rientrerebbero per mettere le conoscenze così acquisite al servizio dello sviluppo dell'economia nazionale.
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In addition, limiting the benefit of the aid only to Luxembourg residents is necessary in order to finance the system whilst ensuring that it does not become an unreasonable burden to the detriment of the overall level of support for higher education studies which may be granted by that State.
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Inoltre, la limitazione ai soli residenti lussemburghesi del beneficio dell’aiuto sarebbe necessaria per garantire il finanziamento del sistema, dovendosi garantire al contempo che non diventi un onere irragionevole, a danno del livello globale del sussidio agli studi superiori che può essere concesso da tale Stato.
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According to Advocate General Mengozzi, the EU has asked Member States to make efforts on this issue in order to increase the percentage of young adults who have a higher education degree, even though those Member States have a wide discretion to define the objectives of their education policy.
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Secondo l'avvocato generale, l'UE ha chiesto agli Stati membri di compiere sforzi per incrementare la percentuale di giovani in possesso di qualifiche dell’istruzione terziaria, anche se tali Stati membri dispongono di un ampio margine di discrezionalità per definire gli obiettivi della loro politica in materia di istruzione.
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That requirement in particular informed Luxembourg’s choice to implement the Law of 2010, as a result of the historically atypical character of its economic situation.
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Tale esigenza ha ispirato, in modo particolare, la scelta che il Lussemburgo ha effettuato con la legge del 2010, dato che la sua situazione economica è storicamente atipica.
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From an economy based on the mining and steel industries, Luxembourg effected a transformation, when those industries ceased to exist, towards the development of employment in the banking and finance sectors.
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Infatti, da un'economia basata sull’industria mineraria e sulle acciaierie, il Lussemburgo ha attraversato una fase di transizione, a seguito della loro scomparsa, verso uno sviluppo dell’occupazione nel settore bancario e finanziario;
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Thereafter, and even before the financial crisis, those sectors were – and continue to be – under strong threat, as a result of steps undertaken at EU level to drastically cut back the advantageous position enjoyed by the Luxembourg banking system in comparison with the banking system of other Member States.
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successivamente, tale settore è stato fortemente minacciato, anche prima della crisi finanziaria – e lo è tuttora, dall’azione intrapresa a livello dell’Unione per ridurre drasticamente i vantaggi di cui godeva il sistema bancario lussemburghese rispetto ai sistemi bancari degli altri Stati membri.
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It follows that the steps taken by Luxembourg to ensure a high level of education of its population pursues a legitimate objective which may be considered an overriding reason in the public interest.
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Ne consegue che l’azione intrapresa dal Lussemburgo per assicurare un livello elevato di formazione della sua popolazione persegue un obiettivo legittimo che può essere considerato un motivo imperativo di interesse generale.
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In contrast to the Luxembourg Government, the Advocate General is convinced that the education policy objective must be examined separately from the fiscal objective, even if the determination of the beneficiaries of a social benefit logically affects the economic burden weighing on the State.
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Contrariamente al governo lussemburghese, l'avvocato generale è persuaso che l’obiettivo della politica in materia di istruzione debba essere mantenuto distinto dall’obiettivo di bilancio, anche se la determinazione dei beneficiari di un vantaggio sociale incide logicamente sull’onere economico gravante sullo Stato.
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However, the fiscal objective invoked by Luxembourg does not constitute a legitimate ground which may justify unequal treatment between Luxembourg workers and those of other Member States.
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L’obiettivo di bilancio invocato dal Lussemburgo non costituisce di per sé un motivo atto a giustificare una disparità di trattamento tra i lavoratori lussemburghesi e quelli di altri Stati membri.
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The Advocate General suggests that it is necessary to verify whether the ultimate economic aim pursued – the transition towards a knowledge-based economy – for which Luxembourg established the discriminatory practice at issue is seriously and effectively implemented in order to avoid the costs of that practice from being so large as to make the achievement of that very aim impossible.
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L'avvocato generale suggerisce di verificare che lo scopo economico ultimo perseguito – la transizione verso un’economia della conoscenza – per il quale il Lussemburgo ha introdotto la pratica discriminatoria sia seriamente ed effettivamente attuato al fine di evitare che i costi di tale pratica siano talmente elevati da rendere impossibile il conseguimento dello scopo medesimo.
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It is for the national court to carry out that verification.
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Spetta al giudice nazionale procedere a tale verifica.
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Finally, the Advocate General considers the appropriateness and proportionality of the residence requirement.
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L’avvocato generale esamina infine l'adeguatezza e la proporzionalità del requisito di residenza.
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If the Court accepts the proposition that a Member State may take measures to give access to its population to higher education in order to subsequently join and enrich the Luxembourg labour market, the Advocate General considers that the residence requirement is appropriate to ensure the objective pursued.
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Qualora la Corte riconoscesse che uno Stato membro possa adottare determinate misure al fine di favorire l’accesso della sua popolazione all’istruzione superiore affinché la stessa successivamente integri e arricchisca il mercato del lavoro lussemburghese, una volta terminati gli studi, l'avvocato generale ritiene che il requisito di residenza sia idoneo a garantire l’obiettivo perseguito.
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Regarding the proportionality of the residence requirement, it is for the national court to verify, firstly, the existence of a reasonable probability that the beneficiaries of support for higher education studies residing in Luxembourg will in fact return to that country at the outcome of their studies and become active in the Luxembourg economy and society.
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Per quanto riguarda la proporzionalità del requisito di residenza, spetta al giudice nazionale verificare, da una parte, l’esistenza di una ragionevole probabilità che i beneficiari del sussidio agli studi superiori residenti in Lussemburgo siano disponibili a rientrare in tale Stato una volta terminati gli studi e a inserirsi nella vita economica e sociale lussemburghese.
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Secondly, that court will also have to verify that the pursuit of the transformation of the Luxembourg economy into a knowledge-based economy – and, consequently, an economy offering services in the broadest sense – has indeed been followed up with public initiatives aiming to develop actual new employment prospects.
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D’altra parte, il giudice dovrà altresì verificare se l’obiettivo della trasformazione dell’economia lussemburghese in un’economia della conoscenza – e, pertanto, in un’economia che propone servizi ampiamente intesi – sia stato effettivamente perseguito con azioni pubbliche dirette a sviluppare concretamente nuove prospettive di occupazione.
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NOTE:
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IMPORTANTE:
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The Advocate General’s Opinion is not binding on the Court of Justice.
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Le conclusioni dell'avvocato generale non vincolano la Corte di giustizia.
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It is the role of the Advocates General to propose to the Court, in complete independence, a legal solution to the cases for which they are responsible.
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Il compito dell'avvocato generale consiste nel proporre alla Corte, in piena indipendenza, una soluzione giuridica nella causa per la quale è stato designato.
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The Judges of the Court are now beginning their deliberations in this case.
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I giudici della Corte cominciano adesso a deliberare in questa causa.
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Judgment will be given at a later date.
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La sentenza sarà pronunciata in una data successiva.
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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
According to Advocate General Mengozzi, Luxembourg is justified in making
funding of higher education studies for children of frontier workers conditional
upon a residence requirement
The AG invites the Court to indicate to the referring court the
criteria for verifying that such a condition is appropriate and proportional to
the objective of ensuring the transition of Luxembourg’s economy towards a
knowledge-based economy
Luxembourg legislation provides that financial aid for higher studies
is granted to citizens of Luxembourg and other EU citizens on the condition that
they are resident in Luxembourg.
Several students, who are children of frontier workers in Luxembourg,
brought actions before the Administrative Court of Luxembourg, following a
refusal by the Luxembourg authorities to grant them financial aid for their
higher education studies on the ground that they were not resident in
Luxembourg.
They challenge that refusal, arguing that the Luxembourg legislation
treats the children of Luxembourg workers differently from those of frontier
workers, which is contrary to the principle of free movement of persons.
Luxembourg disputes that there is any discrimination and, in any event,
asserts that the financial aid in question does not constitute a social benefit.
The request for a preliminary ruling of the Administrative Court of
Luxembourg, which seeks guidance from the Court, stems from the idea that,
pursuant to Article 203 of the Luxembourg Civil Code, the students in question
must be considered to be the financial responsibility of their frontier worker
parents.
Advocate General Paolo Mengozzi rules out being able to give an opinion
with that approach as a starting point because, pursuant to the principles of
international private law, those students may be considered to be the
responsibility of the frontier worker only where that is the case under the
personal law applicable to them, which may be the law of their country of
nationality, domicile or residence, but not Luxembourg law.
It follows that the referring court may address the problem in
practice, only where it establishes not only that the students are part of the
household of the frontier workers but also that those workers continue to be
responsible for them by providing for them, and verifies also whether those
students benefit, actually or potentially, in their country of residence, from a
measure comparable to that introduced by the Law of 26 July 1010.
On the basis of that premise, the Advocate General notes that, in
accordance with the Court’s settled case-law:
- support for the higher educational studies of children for
which frontier workers are responsible constitutes a social benefit in relation
to which they may avail themselves of the principle of non-discrimination laid
down in Regulation No 1612/68 relating to freedom of movement of workers within
the Community and
- the requirement of residence, which is liable to work against migrant
workers and frontier workers who are nationals of other Member States, inasmuch
as it is imposed on students who are children of frontier workers, constitutes
indirect discrimination, in principle prohibited, unless it is objectively
justified, appropriate for securing the attainment of the objective pursued and
does not go beyond what is necessary to attain that objective.
In order to demonstrate the existence of such a justification, the
Luxembourg Government invokes a “political” or “social” objective which is
designed to significantly increase the share of
Luxembourg residents with a higher education degree and to ensure the
transition of the Luxembourg economy towards a knowledge-based economy.
Luxembourg residents thus have a connection with Luxembourg society from which
it may be presumed that, having benefited from Luxembourg financial aid during
their studies, pursued abroad where applicable, they will return to apply the
knowledge acquired for the benefit of the development of the national economy.
In addition, limiting the benefit of the aid only to Luxembourg
residents is necessary in order to finance the system whilst ensuring that it
does not become an unreasonable burden to the detriment of the overall level of
support for higher education studies which may be granted by that State.
According to Advocate General Mengozzi, the EU has asked Member States
to make efforts on this issue in order to increase the percentage of young
adults who have a higher education degree, even though those Member States have
a wide discretion to define the objectives of their education policy.
That requirement in particular informed Luxembourg’s choice to
implement the Law of 2010, as a result of the historically atypical character of
its economic situation.
From an economy based on the mining and steel industries, Luxembourg
effected a transformation, when those industries ceased to exist, towards the
development of employment in the banking and finance sectors.
Thereafter, and even before the financial crisis, those sectors were –
and continue to be – under strong threat, as a result of steps undertaken at EU
level to drastically cut back the advantageous position enjoyed by the
Luxembourg banking system in comparison with the banking system of other Member
States.
It follows that the steps taken by Luxembourg to ensure a high level of
education of its population pursues a legitimate objective which may be
considered an overriding reason in the public interest.
In contrast to the Luxembourg Government, the Advocate General is
convinced that the education policy objective must be examined separately from
the fiscal objective, even if the determination of the beneficiaries of a social
benefit logically affects the economic burden weighing on the State.
However, the fiscal objective invoked by Luxembourg does not constitute
a legitimate ground which may justify unequal treatment between Luxembourg
workers and those of other Member States.
The Advocate General suggests that it is necessary to verify whether
the ultimate economic aim pursued – the transition towards a knowledge-based
economy – for which Luxembourg established the discriminatory practice at issue
is seriously and effectively implemented in order to avoid the costs of that
practice from being so large as to make the achievement of that very aim
impossible.
It is for the national court to carry out that verification.
Finally, the Advocate General considers the appropriateness and
proportionality of the residence requirement.
If the Court accepts the proposition that a Member State may take
measures to give access to its population to higher education in order to
subsequently join and enrich the Luxembourg labour market, the Advocate General
considers that the residence requirement is appropriate to ensure the objective
pursued.
Regarding the proportionality of the residence requirement, it is for
the national court to verify, firstly, the existence of a reasonable probability
that the beneficiaries of support for higher education studies residing in
Luxembourg will in fact return to that country at the outcome of their studies
and become active in the Luxembourg economy and society.
Secondly, that court will also have to verify that the pursuit of the
transformation of the Luxembourg economy into a knowledge-based economy – and,
consequently, an economy offering services in the broadest sense – has indeed
been followed up with public initiatives aiming to develop actual new employment
prospects.
NOTE:
The Advocate General’s Opinion is not binding on the Court of Justice.
It is the role of the Advocates General to propose to the Court, in complete
independence, a legal solution to the cases for which they are responsible.
The Judges of the Court are now beginning their deliberations in this case.
Judgment will be given at a later date.
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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