21/12/2017 (Agence Europe) – Fixed-term workers must be able to benefit, for the purposes of holding political office, from the same special leave as is granted to permanent civil servants, the Court of Justice of the EU stated in a judgment returned on Wednesday 20 December in a case (C-158/16) between a non-established civil servant and the administration of the regional parliament of Asturias, Spain. According to the judge, the framework agreement annexed to the directive (1999/70/EEC) on fixed-term employment opposes national rules introducing a difference in treatment based solely on the temporary nature of a post held. Furthermore, fixed-term workers taking special leave may return to their posts at the end of the parliamentary term of office and the duration of this office will be taken into account when calculating the three-yearly length-of-service increments and promotion in grade. (MB)