[JURIST] The European Court of Justice [official website] upheld [judgment text] mandatory retirement ages in the European Union Tuesday, saying that mandatory retirement policies do not violate the prohibition against age discrimination if the policy is intended to further the legitimate public interest of increasing employment and the retirees are provided with full pensions.

The European Union [official website] prohibits discrimination on the grounds of sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion, disability, age, and sexual orientation. The EU Framework Directive for Equal Treatment in Employment and Occupation [Directive 2000/78/EC text], which is intended to implement the principle of equal treatment and eliminate inequalities within the European Union, does not prohibit national governments from instituting retirement ages. AP has more. Dow Jones has additional coverage.