'Article 1(1) of Council Directive 76/207/EEC of 9 February 1976 on the implementation of the principle of equal treatment for men and women as regards access to employment, vocational training and promotion, and working conditions, and Articles 3(l)(a) and 7(l)(a) of Council Directive 79/7/EEC of 19 December 1978 on the progressive implementation of the principle of equal treatment for men and women in matters of social security must be interpreted as not precluding a national earlyretirement scheme under which male and female employees in an undertaking declared to be in critical difficulty are entitled to be credited with up to five years' pension contributions from the date on which they cease work until they reach the age at which they are entitled to a retirement pension, which is 60 for men and 55 for women.'
Αυτό συμβαίνει όντως, εάν οι διακρίσεις αυτές είναι αντικειμενικώς αναγκαίες για να αποφευχθεί ο κίνδυνος διαταράξεως της οικονομικής ισορροπίας του συστήματος κοινωνικής ασφαλίσεως ή για να εξασφαλισθεί η συνοχή μεταξύ του συστήματος συντάξεων λόγω συμπληρώσεως συνταξίμου χρόνου και του συστήματος των άλλων παροχών.