Brussels, 22/03/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 21 March 2013, the European Commission decided to refer Malta to the European Court of Justice for failure to respect EU rules on the coordination of social security systems.
Pensioners who previously worked in civil services in other member states have had their retirement pensions wrongly reduced by the Maltese authorities. Under Malta's current rules, the European Commission explains, Maltese statutory old-age pensions are partly decreased by the sum of service pensions paid in Malta or abroad. All pensions based on national legislation, such as civil or military service pensions, however, fall under the protection of the EU rules on social security coordination and those rules prohibit the application of national rules on suspension and reduction of these types of benefits. Malta has thus far ignored the Commission's repeated requests that it rectify its pension rules. (JK/transl.fl)