ARMED FORCES DISABILITY BENEFITS | PORTUGUESE NATIONALITY | FORMER OVERSEAS TERRITORIES | PRINCIPLE OF EQUALITY
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 423/01, 09.10.2001
JURISDICTION: Constitutional
CASE: 774/99
SUBJECT: Constitutional review
RAPPORTEUR: Maria Fernanda Palma
RULING: Declares, with general binding force, the unconstitutionality of the norm in Article 1(1) of Decree-Law no. 43/76, of 20 January 1976, to the extent that it reserves for Portuguese citizens, with the exclusion of foreign residents, the enjoyment of the rights listed in Articles 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 (except for the preference in recruitment for public functions that are not predominantly technical in nature), 15 and 16 of Decree-Law no. 43/76. Declares, with general binding force, the unconstitutionality of the norm in Article 1 of Decree-Law no. 319/84, of 1 October 1984, to the extent that it reserves for Portuguese citizens, with the exclusion of foreign residents, the enjoyment of the rights that it lists (except for the preference in recruitment for public functions that are not predominantly technical in nature, resulting from the reference to Article 14 of Decree-Law no. 43/76). Limits the scope of the declaration of unconstitutionality, so that its effects are only produced from the date the judgment is published in the official journal.
DOMESTIC LAW:
Portuguese Constitution [Articles 15, 71, 275(2), 276(7), 281(2)(d)]
Constitutional Court Act [Articles 54, 55(3)]
Law no. 36/95, of 18 August 1995
Law no. 174/99, of 21 September 1999
Decree-Law no. 44.995, of 24 April 1963 (Articles 1, 6)
Decree-Law no. 210/73, of 9 May 1973 [Article 1(1)]
Decree-Law no. 291/73, of 8 June 1973
Decree-Law no. 295/73, of 9 June 1973
Decree-Law no. 308-A/75, of 24 June 1975
Decree-Law no. 43/76, of 20 January 1976 (Articles 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9 to 16)
Decree-Law no. 351/76, of 13 May 1976
ecree-Law no. 230/80, of 16 July 1980
Decree-Law no. 348/82, of 3 September 1982 [Articles 1(1), 2(2), 9]
Decree-Law no. 75/83, of 8 February 1983
Decree-Law no. 93/83, of 17 February 1983
Decree-Law no. 319/84, of 1 October 1984 [Articles 1, 3(2)]
Decree-Law no. 203/87, of 16 May 1987
Decree-Law no. 224/90, of 10 July 1990
Decree-Law no. 314/90, of 13 October 1990
Decree-Law no. 183/91, of 17 May 1991
Decree-Law no. 184/91, of 17 May 1991
Decree-Law no. 146/92, of 21 July 1992
Decree-Law no. 259/93, of 22 July 1993
Decree-Law no. 134/97, of 31 May 1997
Decree-Law no. 236/99, of 25 June 1999
Normative Dispatch no. 79/77, of 6 April 1977
Normative Dispatch no. 109/77, of 10 May 1977
Ordinance no. 94/76
Ordinance no. 162/76
Ordinance no. 197/77
Ordinance no. 114/79
Ordinance no. 815/85
Ordinance no. 884/85
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 46/86, 25.02.1986
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 54/87, 10.02.1987
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 330/93, 11.05.1993
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 359/93, 25.05.1993
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 434/93, 13.07.1993
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 442/93, 14.07.1993
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 288/94, 23.03.1994
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 577/94, 26.10.1994
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 41/95, 01.02.1995
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 316/95, 20.06.1995
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 317/95, 20.06.1995
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 318/95, 20.06.1995
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 338/95, 22.06.1995
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 339/95, 22.06.1995
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 340/95, 22.06.1995
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 341/95, 22.06.1995
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 392/95, 27.06.1995
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 403/95, 27.06.1995
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 407/95, 28.06.1995
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 420/95, 05.07.1995
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 444/95, 06.07.1995
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 464/95, 11.07.1995
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 690/95, 05.12.1995
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 726/95, 06.12.1995
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 138/96, 07.02.1996
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 240/96, 29.02.1996
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 563/96, 10.04.1996
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 962/96, 11.07.1996
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 354/97, 30.04.1997
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 392/97, 20.05.1997
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 405/97, 21.05.1997
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 406/97, 21.05.1997
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 443/97, 19.06.1997
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 482/97, 02.07.1997
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 590/97, 08.10.1997
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 48/98, 03.02.1998
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 55/98, 03.02.1998
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 89/98, 04.02.1998
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 91/98, 04.02.1998
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 94/98, 04.02.1998
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 98/98, 04.02.1998
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 159/98, 10.02.1998
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 165/98, 10.02.1998
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 231/98, 04.03.1998
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 294/98, 28.04.1998
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 308/98, 29.04.1998
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 309/98, 29.04.1998
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 332/98, 06.05.1998
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 400/98, 02.06.1998
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 434/98, 16.06.1998
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 552/98, 29.09.1998
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 624/98, 03.11.1998
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 319/2000, 21.06.2000
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 365/2000, 05.07.2000
Constitutional Court, judgment no. 378/2000, 13.07.2000
Consultative Council of the Attorney-General’s Office, Opinion no. 23/81
Consultative Council of the Attorney-General’s Office, Opinion no. 6/94
INTERNATIONAL LAW: n.a.
FOREIGN LAW:
Australia, National Service Act, of 17 March 1951
United States of America, Military Selective Service Act, of 28 September 1971
Italy, Constitutional Court, judgment no. 53, 24.04.1967
Norway, Military Service Act, of 17 July 1951
KEYWORDS: Armed Forces disability benefits; Portuguese nationality; former overseas territories; principle of equality; full integration into society; rights reserved for Portuguese citizens; principle of assimilation of foreigners and stateless persons residing in Portugal to Portuguese nationals; principle of universality; injuries suffered when serving the Portuguese state; overseas military campaigns; contribution to the war efforts; ope legis loss of nationality; independence of former colonies; fundamental duty to defend the Homeland; public functions involving the exercise of powers of authority; disability pension; nationals from African Portuguese speaking countries; Nation; rights and benefits of an “assistential” or “provisional” nature; differentiation in treatment; universality of rights characteristic of equality in states under the rule of law; exceptions to the principle of assimilation; political rights; exercise of public functions that are not predominantly technical in nature; military status; military law; right of option for integration in the Portuguese Armed Forces; coercive loss of Portuguese citizenship; Portuguese nationals at the time of the colonial wars; independence of the former overseas territories; discrimination of foreigners residing in Portugal; principle of justice inherent to a democratic state under the rule of law; current citizens of African countries; essential equality of assistential care for those who served the Portuguese state in an armed conflict; international agreements; right to social benefits
COMMENTS: Coming soon.
REFERENCES IN THE LITERATURE:
CANOTILHO, J.J. Gomes, e MOREIRA, Vital, Constituição da República Portuguesa Anotada [Annotation to the Portuguese Constitution], vol. I, 4.ª ed. revista, Coimbra, Coimbra Editora, 2007.
MIRANDA, Jorge, e MEDEIROS, Rui, Constituição Portuguesa Anotada [Annotation to the Portuguese Constitution], tomo I, 2.ª ed., Coimbra, Wolters Kluwer/Coimbra Editora, 2010.
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