Opinion of Advocate General Darmon delivered on 31 March 1993

1 Original language: French.

2 Case C-338/91. Opinion of 31 March 1993.

3 Treaty Series. Volume 999, p. 171.

4 Directive of 19 December 1978 on the progressive implementation of the principle of equal treatment for men and women in matters of social security (OJ 1979 L 6, p. 24).

5 For further details, see the Report for the Hearing, I — Facts and procedure.

6 Raad van Arbeit, Eindhoven, the predecessor in law of the Sociale Verzekeringsbank.

7 French translation of the statement of the Netherlands Government, p. 24.

8 Order for reference, p. 9.

9 Case 68/76 Commission v france [1977] ECR 515

10 G. Isaac, Droit Communautaire Generili, 3rd ed., Masson.

11 Op. cit., p. 39.

12 The fact that implementation is to be gradual is clear from the preamble, particularly paragraph 2, which states that the principle of equal treatment in matters of social sccu rity should be implemented in the first place in the statutory schemes which provide protection against the risks of sickness, invalidity, old age, accidents at work, occupational diseases and unemployment, and in social assistance in so far as it is intended to supplement or replace the abovementioncd schemes.

13 Case 149/77 Defrenne v Sabena III [1978] ECR 1365.

14 Paragraph 19.

15 Paragraph 26.

16 Paragraph 32.

17 Case 151/84 Roberts v Tate & Lyle Industries [1986] ECR 703.

18 Paragraph 35.

19 Case 19/81 Burton v British Railways Board [1982] ECR 555.

20 Paragraph 13.

21 Paragraph 14.

22 Case 4/73 Nold v Commisson [1974] ECR 491.

23 Case 36/75 Rutili [1975] ECR 1219.

24 Case 374/87 Orimi v Commission [1989] ECR 3283, paragraph 31.

25 Joined Cases 60/84 and 61/84 Cinéthèque v Federation Nationille des Cinemas Bancais [1985] ECR 2605.

26 Paragraph 26.

27 Case C 260/89 Elliniki Radiophonia Ttleorassi AE v Dimotiki Elama Pliroforissis [1991] ECR I 2925.

28 Casc C 159/90 Society for the Protection of Unborn Children v Grogan [1991] ECR I-4685.

29 Order for reference (English translation), pp. 13 and 14.

30 Idem, p. 13.

31 Observations of the Netherlands Government (French translation), p. 22.

32 Case 151/84, cited above, paragraph 35.

33 Case 222/84 Johnston v Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary [1986] ECR 1651.

34 Paragraph 38.

35 Judgment in Case C 373/89 Integrity v Rouvroy [1990] ECR I 4243, paragraph 13

36 Case 286/85 McDermoll and Colter v Minuter for Social Welfare [1987] ECR 1453.

37 Paragraph 18.

38 Joined Cases C-87/90, C-88/90 and C-89/90 Verholen and Others v Sodale Verzekeringsbank [1991] ECR I-3757.

39 Paragraph 30.

40 Case 37/74 Van den Broeck v Commission [1975] ECR 235.

41 Paragraph 14.

42 Case 106/77 Amministrazione delle Emanze dello Slato v Simmenthal [1978] ECR 629.

43 Paragraph 24.

44 Case 34/67 Luck v Ilaupuollaml Koln [1968] ECR 245.

45 p. 251.

46 p. 251.

47 Case C-229/89 Commission v Belgium [1991] ECR I-2205.

48 Paragraph 21.

49 Case 30/85 Teuling v Bedrijfsvereniging voor de Chemische Industrie [1987] ECR 2497.

50 Paragraph 16.