•  
  •  
 

Brigham Young University Prelaw Review

Authors

Angela Evans

Keywords

European Communities, community law, Comparative worth

Abstract

On March 23, 1982, Commission of the European Communities v. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ( case number 61/81 ), came before the Court of Justice of the European Communities. This case dealt primarily with Article 119 of the treaty which formed the European Economic Community (EEC) and with the subsequent Council Directive 75/117 of the EEC which clarified and expanded the scope of Article 119. The major issue involved was that of equal pay for men and women in the labor forces of Member States to the European Economic Community, specifically, Article 119 of the treaty which dealt with the issue. At the time the case was heard by the Court of Justice, the Commission of the European Communities, the applicant, felt that the United Kingdom, the defendant, had not fulfilled its obligations regarding Article 119 and Directive 75/117, and had spent the previous three years seeking to remedy the United Kingdom's blatant disregard for this aspect of the EEC treaty with no success (Commission v. UK at 8052). This paper will examine the factual history of this case, summarize the arguments used by both applicant (plantifl) and defendant, examine the Court's decision, and conclude with a personal analysis of the decision.

Download

Included in

Law Commons

Share

COinS