6.  The applicants were born in 1938, 1942, 1939, 1942 and 1940 respectively, and live in Italy. 7.  Mr Maggio worked in Switzerland from 1980 to 1992. 8.  On 25 June 1997 Mr Maggio requested the Istituto Nazionale della Previdenza Sociale (“INPS”), an Italian welfare entity, to re-examine his old-age pension and to liquidate it on the basis of the real remuneration received (“retribuzione effettiva”) during his years of employment in Switzerland, in accordance with the 1962 Italo-Swiss Convention. 9.  On an unspecified date the INPS rejected his request, since the calculation had to be based on the remuneration received in Switzerland and then be re-adjusted on the basis of the tables supplied in Circular no. 324 of 4 January 1978. 10.  Mr Maggio instituted proceedings before the Lecce Tribunal, claiming that the payment of old-age pensions had to be calculated on the basis of the real remuneration received (in the last five years of employment) and of the contributions paid in part in Switzerland and in part in Italy. 11.  By a judgment filed in the registry on 8 May 2002, his claim was rejected. 12.  Mr Maggio appealed to the Lecce Court of Appeal which, by a judgment filed in the registry on 30 October 2003, rejected his claim. It took into consideration a technical expert report in relation to Article 23 of the Italo-Swiss Convention (see Relevant Domestic Law below), which provided for the transfer of contributions paid in Switzerland to the Italian insurance scheme for use in the calculation of old-age pensions, and guaranteed the benefits of Italian legislation. Consequently, it held that the pension calculation was to be made on the basis of Italian criteria, even though they were less favourable than the Swiss ones. Indeed, Italian law (decree of 27 April 1968 no. 488) provided for a calculation based on higher contributory rates than those in Switzerland, thus providing a lower pension than that expected by Mr Maggio. 13.  By a judgment of 11 December 2008 filed in the registry on 13 February 2009, the Court of Cassation dismissed Mr Maggio’s claim, after rejecting his request for a preliminary reference to the ECJ. It held that the criteria used by the Court of Appeal were eventually acknowledged in Article 1, paragraph 777, of Law no. 296 of 27 December 2006 (“Law 296/2006”), which had retroactive effect. This Law had not been found to be unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court in a judgment of 23 May 2008 (see Relevant Domestic Law below). 14.  In 2005 Mr Gabrieli requested the INPS to establish his pension on the basis of the contributions paid in Switzerland for work he had performed there between November 1963 and June 2001. As a basis for the calculation of his pension, the INPS employed a theoretical remuneration (“retribuzione teorica”) instead of the real remuneration (“retribuzione effettiva”). The former resulted in a re-adjustment on the basis of the existing ratio between the contributions applied in Switzerland (8%) and in Italy (32.7%), which led to a reduction of 25% in the basic amount used to calculate the pension and therefore a reduction in the pension itself. Consequently, in 2006 Mr Gabrieli instituted judicial proceedings. 15. By a judgment of the Brescia Tribunal (Labour Section) of 2 October 2006, Mr Gabrieli’s claim was upheld on the basis of the relevant Court of Cassation case-law at the time (see Relevant Domestic Law below). 16.  The INPS appealed. 17.  By a judgment of 7 August 2007, the Brescia Court of Appeal reversed the first-instance judgment in view of the entry into force of Law 296/2006. Mr Gabrieli did not appeal to the Court of Cassation, deeming it to be futile in the circumstances of the case. Thus, the judgment became final on 7 August 2008. 18.  Mr Faccioli was entitled to an old-age pension from 1 April 1999. 19.  In 2006 Mr Faccioli requested the INPS to establish his pension on the basis of the contributions paid in Switzerland for work he had performed there between 1 December 1958 and 31 March 1999. As a basis for the calculation of his pension, the INPS employed a theoretical remuneration (“retribuzione teorica”) instead of the real remuneration (“retribuzione effettiva”). The former resulted in a re-adjustment on the basis of the existing ratio between the contributions applied in Switzerland (8%) and in Italy (32.7%), which led to a reduction of 25% in the basic amount used to calculate the pension and therefore a reduction in the pension itself. Consequently, in 2006 Mr Faccioli instituted judicial proceedings. 20.  By a judgment of the Brescia Tribunal (Labour Section) of 20 October 2008, Mr Faccioli’s claims were rejected in view of Law 296/2006 and the subsequent Constitutional Court judgment. Mr Faccioli did not appeal, deeming it to be futile in view of the relevant case-law at the time. 21.  Ms Forgioli was entitled to an old-age pension from 1 April 1995 and to a survivor’s pension, as a widow, her husband having become a pensioner on 1 April 1997, from the date of her husband’s death. 22.  In 2006 Ms Forgioli requested the INPS to establish her pension on the basis of the contributions paid in Switzerland for work she had performed there between 1 August 1959 and 30 November 1994, and those paid by her husband. As a basis for the calculation of the relevant pensions, the INPS employed a theoretical remuneration (“retribuzione teorica”) instead of the real remuneration (“retribuzione effettiva”). The former resulted in a re-adjustment on the basis of the existing ratio between the contributions applied in Switzerland (8%) and in Italy (32.7%), which led to a reduction of 25% in the basic amount used to calculate the pension and therefore a reduction in the pension itself. Consequently, in 2006 Ms Forgioli instituted judicial proceedings. 23.  By a judgment of the Brescia Tribunal (Labour Section) of 20 October 2008, Ms Forgioli’s claims were rejected in view of Law 296/2006 and the subsequent Constitutional Court judgment. Ms Forgioli did not appeal, deeming it to be futile in view of the relevant case-law at the time.
Ms Zanardini 24.  Ms Zanardini was entitled to an old-age pension from 1 August 1997. 25.  In 2006 Ms Zanardini requested the INPS to establish her pension on the basis of the contributions paid in Switzerland for work she had performed there between March 1960 and July 1997. As a basis for the calculation of her pension, the INPS employed a theoretical remuneration (“retribuzione teorica”) instead of the real remuneration (“retribuzione effettiva”). The former resulted in a re-adjustment on the basis of the existing ratio between the contributions applied in Switzerland (8%) and in Italy (32.7%), which led to a reduction of 25% in the basic amount used to calculate the pension and therefore a reduction in the pension itself. Consequently, in 2006 Ms Zanardini instituted judicial proceedings. 26.  By a judgment of the Brescia Tribunal (Labour Section) of 20 October 2008, Ms Zanardini’s claims were rejected in view of Law 296/2006 and the subsequent Constitutional Court judgment. Ms Zanardini did not appeal, deeming it to be futile in view of the relevant case-law at the time.