8.  The applicant was born in 1942 and lives in Athens. 9.  Between 1 February 1961 and 31 May 1981 the applicant paid contributions to the Fund of Typographers and Graphic-Arts Employees for 4,246 working days. Between 1 May 1979 and 30 July 1981 he paid contributions to the Social Security Fund for Technical Staff working in the Athens Press for twenty months and six days. Between 1 August 1981 and 9 May 1988 he paid contributions to the same fund for six years, eight months and three days. Then the applicant requested to be put on retirement under sections 18 § 2 and 10 § 1 of Law no. 1186/81. According to that law, persons who had contributed for at least five years to the Social Security Fund for Technical Staff working in the Athens Press were entitled to a pension if they were made redundant out of no fault of their own or because of the introduction of new technology. Those who had contributed for five to ten years would receive a monthly pension of GRD 10,000. A higher amount was fixed for those who had contributed for more than ten years. 10.  On 5 August 1988 the Director of the Social Security Fund for Technical Staff working in the Athens Press decided that the applicant was entitled to the pension provided for those who had worked for five to ten years. 11.  On 24 September 1988 the applicant appealed against this decision considering that, under the relevant legislation, the Fund should have also taken into consideration the working days in respect of which he had paid contributions to the Fund of Typographers and Graphic-Arts Employees. His appeal was rejected by the Board of the Social Security Fund for Technical Staff working in the Athens Press sometime in 1988. 12.  On 12 November 1988 the applicant challenged this decision before the First Instance Administrative Court of Athens. On 15 December 1989 the court considered that sections 18 § 2 and 10 § 1 of Law no. 1186/81 were provisions of an exceptional nature. As a result, there was no room for applying the legislation concerning the taking into consideration of working days in respect of which contributions had been paid to other funds. 13.  On 18 July 1990 the applicant appealed against this decision. 14.  On 30 June 1992 the Administrative Court of Appeal of Athens allowed the applicant's appeal. 15.  On 8 June 1993 the Social Security Fund appealed in cassation. 16.  On 5 May 1997 the Council of State quashed the decision brought before it and referred the case back to the Court of Appeal. 17.  On 10 December 1999 the Administrative Court of Appeal of Athens rejected the applicant's appeal. This judgment was notified to the applicant on 19 May 2000.