Member States shall prescribe the minimum age of licence applicants, which shall be at least 20 years.

In his absence, and without prejudice to the first subparagraph of Article 13(5), the most senior member shall take the chair.

The Court rejects the United Kingdom’s argument that those circumstances are covered by a derogation from the Directive permitting a Member State to prescribe different pensionable ages for men and women.

Several Member States raise female retirement rates to the level of male retirement rates where they were different; several raise the mandatory and effective pension age.

ANNEX I RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL AND OF THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE GOVERNMENTS OF THE MEMBER STATES, MEETING WITHIN THE COUNCIL, of ON THE EMPLOYMENT OF OLDER WORKERS "THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION AND THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE GOVERNMENTS OF THE MEMBER STATES, MEETING WITHIN THE COUNCIL, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Whereas demographic changes are causing the job situation of older workers to become a matter of concern in most European countries; Whereas those changes will have major economic and social consequences for expenditure to improve the functioning of the job market, the financing of ...[+++]retirement pensions and the balance of the age pyramids within undertakings; Whereas Governments, social partners and undertakings should anticipate those changes by placing emphasis on, for example, part-time work, the adjustment of working conditions and vocational training throughout the working life; Having regard to the action already put in hand by Member States in those areas notably in order to eliminate any obstacles to the employment of older workers; Whereas certain early retirement schemes have resulted in several Member States in instability for older workers who have received compensation under varied and changing schemes, and have led to a loss of know-how in undertakings; whereas abolition of official early-retirement schemes would not stem the spate of ever earlier withdrawals from the job market observed in certain Member States; Whereas many Member States have introduced phased retirement schemes, thereby enabling the changeover by older workers to part-time work to be offset by recruitment of persons in difficulty on the job market and young workers; Whereas the organization of work must take into account productivity requirements; Whereas it is important to take account of the availability of financial resources, national priorities and balances within national systems; Whereas account should be taken of ...

Take appropriate measures, based on the requirements of the different labour markets, to: (a) eliminate any legal and administrative obstacles to the employment of older workers; (b) make employers aware of the individual or collective consequences of dismissing older workers; (c) facilitate the return to work of the older long-term unemployed through aid for recruitment and through genuine vocational retraining; (d) reinforce the efforts of the bodies in charge of placement policy to retrain and reintegrate the older unemployed; (e) where the State acts as employer, give positive examples of getting older workers back to work and keeping them in work. V. CALL ON THE COMMISSION TO: - organize, in liaison with the Membe ...[+++]r States, an exchange of information, experience and good practice concerning the employment of older workers, on the basis of existing Community programmes".