European Union – Employment. The Court of Justice of the European Union made a preliminary ruling concerning the interpretation of arts 2, 3(1)(c) and 6(1) of Council Directive (EC) 2000/78 (establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation). The requests had been made in two sets of proceedings between certain federal civil servants and Germany, concerning the methods of allocating to those civil servants a step or a transitional step within grades of the pay scheme applicable in each case.