CASE OF ABBATE AND OTHERS v. ITALY

      FIRST SECTION CASE OF ABBATE AND OTHERS v. ITALY (Application no. 27814/23 and 4 others – see appended list)             JUDGMENT   STRASBOURG 16 January 2025   This judgment is final but it may be subject to editorial revision. In the case of Abbate and Others v. Italy, The European Court of Human Rights (First Section), sitting as a Committee composed of:  Georgios A. Serghides, President,  Erik Wennerström,  Alain Chablais, judges, and Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar, Having deliberated in private on 5 December 2024, Delivers the following judgment, which was adopted on that date: PROCEDURE 1.  The case originated in applications against Italy lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the Convention”) on the various dates indicated in the appended table. 2.  The Italian Government (“the Government”) were given notice of the applications. THE FACTS 3.  The list of applicants and the relevant details of the applications are set out in the appended table. 4.  The applicants complained of the non-enforcement or delayed enforcement of domestic decisions given in their favour. They also raised other complaints under the provisions of the Convention. THE LAW JOINDER OF THE APPLICATIONS5.  Having regard to the similar subject matter of the applications, the Court finds it appropriate to examine them jointly in a single judgment. ALLEGED VIOLATION OF ARTICLE 6 § 1 OF THE CONVENTION6.  The applicants complained principally of the non-enforcement or delayed enforcement of domestic decisions given in their favour. They relied, expressly or in substance, on Article 6 § 1 of the Convention. 7.  The Court reiterates that the execution of a judgment given by any court must be regarded as an integral part of a “hearing” for the purposes of Article 6. It also refers to its case-law concerning the non-enforcement or delayed enforcement of final domestic judgments (see Hornsby v. Greece, no. 18357/91, § 40, Reports of Judgments and Decisions 1997‑II). 8.  In the leading cases of Ventorino v. Italy, no. 357/07, 17 May 2011, De Trana v. Italy, no. 64215/01, 16 October 2007, Nicola Silvestri v. Italy, no. 16861/02, 9 June 2009, Antonetto v. Italy, no. 15918/89, 20 July 2000, and De Luca v. Italy, no. 43870/04, 24 September 2013, the Court already found a violation in respect of issues similar to those in the present case. 9.  Having examined all the material submitted to it, the Court has not found any fact or argument capable of persuading it to reach a different conclusion on the admissibility and merits of these complaints. Having regard to its case-law on the subject, the Court considers that in the instant case the authorities did not deploy all necessary efforts to enforce fully and in due time the decisions in the applicants’ favour. 10.  These complaints are therefore admissible and disclose a breach of Article 6 § 1 of the Convention. OTHER ALLEGED VIOLATIONS UNDER WELL-ESTABLISHED CASE-LAW11.  The applicants submitted other complaints which also raised issues under the Convention, given the relevant well-established case-law of the Court (see appended table). 12.  These complaints are not manifestly ill-founded within the meaning of Article 35 § 3 (a) of the Convention, nor are they inadmissible on any other ground. Accordingly, they must be declared admissible. Having examined all the material before it, the Court concludes that they also disclose violations of the Convention in the light of its findings in Ventorino (cited above). APPLICATION OF ARTICLE 41 OF THE CONVENTION13.  Regard being had to the documents in its possession and to its case‑law (see, in particular, Ventorino, De Trana, Nicola Silvestri, Antonetto and De Luca, all cited above), the Court considers it reasonable to award the sums indicated in the appended table. 14.  The Court further notes that the respondent State has an outstanding obligation to enforce the judgments which remain enforceable. FOR THESE REASONS, THE COURT, UNANIMOUSLY, Decides to join the applications;Declares the applications admissible;Holds that these applications disclose a breach of Article 6 § 1 of the Convention concerning the non-enforcement or delayed enforcement of the domestic decisions;Holds that there has been a violation of the Convention as regards the other complaints raised under the well-established case-law of the Court (see appended table);Holds that the respondent State shall ensure, by appropriate means, within three months, the enforcement of the pending domestic decisions referred to in the appended table;Holds(a)  that the respondent State is to pay the applicants, within three months, the amounts indicated in the appended table; (b)  that from the expiry of the above-mentioned three months until settlement simple interest shall be payable on the above amounts at a rate equal to the marginal lending rate of the European Central Bank during the default period plus three percentage points. Done in English, and notified in writing on 16 January 2025, pursuant to Rule 77 §§ 2 and 3 of the Rules of Court.  Viktoriya Maradudina Georgios A. Serghides  Acting Deputy Registrar President   APPENDIX List of applications raising complaints under Article 6 § 1 of the Convention (non-enforcement or delayed enforcement of domestic decisions) No. Application no. Date of introduction Applicant’s name   Representative’s name and location Relevant domestic decision Start date of non-enforcement period End date of non-enforcement period Length of enforcement proceedings Domestic court order Case-law Other complaints under well-established case-law Amount awarded for non-pecuniary damage per applicant (in euros)[1] Amount awarded for costs and expenses per application (in euros)[2]    27814/23 26/06/2023 Ferdinando Emilio ABBATE 1961       Latium Administrative Court, R.G. 858/17, 05/06/2017     Latium Administrative Court, R.G. 1177/17, 05/06/2017     Latium Administrative Court, R.G.1178/17, 05/06/2017     Latium Administrative Court, R.G.1179/17, 05/06/2017     Latium Administrative Court, R.G. 1180/17, 05/06/2017     Latium Administrative Court, R.G. 1276/17, 05/06/2017     Latium Administrative Court, R.G. 1463/17, 05/06/2017     Latium Administrative Court, R.G. 2520/17, 05/06/2017       Latium Administrative Court, R.G. 2803/17, 20/07/2017       Latium Administrative Court, R.G. 3158/17, 20/07/2017     Rome District Court, R.G. 7409/19, ordering the enforcement of the judgment of Latium Administrative Court, R.G. 1178/17 of 05/06/2017, 02/07/2019     Rome District Court, R.G. 7410/19, ordering the enforcement of the judgment of Latium Administrative Court, R.G. 6604/17 of 05/06/2017, 02/07/2019     Rome District Court, R.G. 7416/19, ordering the enforcement of the judgment of Latium Administrative Court, R.G. 2803/17 of 20/072017, 18/07/2019   Rome District Court, R.G. 7415/19, ordering the enforcement of the judgment of Latium Administrative Court, R.G. 3158/17, of 20/07/2017, 18/07/2019   05/06/2017             05/06/2017             05/06/2017             05/06/2017             05/06/2017             05/06/2017             05/06/2017             05/06/2017               20/07/2017               20/07/2017             02/07/2019                           02/07/2019                           18/07/2019                         18/07/2019   03/03/2023 5 years and 8 months et 27 days       03/03/2023 5 years and 8 months and 27 days       02/03/2023 5 years and 8 months and 26 days   09/03/2023 5 years and 9 months and 5 days       09/03/2023 5 years and 9 months and 5 days       09/03/2023 5 years and 9 months and 5 days       09/03/2023 5 years and 9 months and 5 days       24/03/2023 5 years and 9 months and 20 days         22/03/2023 5 years and 8 months and 3 days         22/03/2023 5 years and 8 months and 3 days       02/03/2023 3 years and 8 months and 1 day                     03/03/2023 3 years and 8 months and 2 days                     22/03/2023 3 years and 8 months and 5 days                   22/03/2023 3 years and 8 months and 5 days Ministry of Economy and Finance, payment of lawyer legal fees (avvocato antistatario) A contrario, Izzo and Others, no. 46141/12, 30 May 2017 Prot. 1 Art. 1 - lack of or delayed payment of a debt by State authorities 2,900 250    27974/23 05/07/2023 Daniela JOSSA 1960   Jossa Daniela Naples Rome Court of Appeal, R.G. 50159/2012, 25/09/2017       Naples Court of Appeal, R.G. 1266/2018, 04/07/2018     Naples Court of Appeal, R.G.1365/2020, 06/08/2020   25/09/2017             04/07/2018           06/08/2020   pending More than 7 years and 1 months and 11 days     pending More than 6 years and 4 months and 1 day   pending More than 4 years and 2 months and 30 days Ministry of Justice, payment of lawyer legal fees (avvocato antistatario). A contrario, Izzo and Others, no. 46141/12, 30 May 2017 Prot. 1 Art. 1 - lack of or delayed payment of a debt by State authorities 2,900 250    33199/23 23/08/2023 Lucio BENIGNI 1974   Pagliuca Mauro Avellino Naples Court of Appeal, R.G. 45/2017, 20/01/2017       Naples Court of Appeal, R.G. 2619/2018, 03/12/2018     Naples Court of Appeal, R.G. 1110/2018, 20/12/2018       Naples Court of Appeal, R.G.2550/2019, 22/09/2020   20/01/2017             03/12/2018           20/12/2018             22/09/2020   pending More than 7 years and 9 months and 16 days     pending More than 5 years and 11 months and 2 days   pending More than 5 years and 10 months and 16 days     pending More than 4 years and 1 month and 14 days   Ministry of Justice, payment of lawyer legal fees (avvocato antistatario). A contrario, Izzo and Others, no. 46141/12, 30 May 2017 Prot. 1 Art. 1 - lack of or delayed payment of a debt by State authorities 4,030 250    33278/23 23/08/2023 Maria Stella SAVERIANO 1973   Pagliuca Mauro Avellino Naples Court of Appeal, R.G. 2054/2018, 22/11/2018   Naples Court of Appeal, R.G. 380/2019, 21/02/2019       Naples Court of Appeal, R.G. 381/2019, 15/03/2019       Naples Court of Appeal, R.G. 1153/2019, 22/05/2019   22/11/2018         21/02/2019             15/03/2019             22/05/2019   pending More than 5 years and 11 months and 14 days pending More than 5 years and 8 months and 15 days     pending More than 5 years and 7 months and 21 days     pending More than 5 years and 5 months and 14 days   Ministry of Justice, payment of lawyer legal fees (avvocato antistatario) A contrario, Izzo and Others, no. 46141/12, 30 May 2017 Prot. 1 Art. 1 - lack of or delayed payment of a debt by State authorities 1,900 250    35651/23 11/09/2023 Lucio BENIGNI 1974   Pagliuca Mauro Avellino Naples Court of Appeal, R.G. 82/2017, 16/06/2017       Naples Court of Appeal, R.G. 160/2019, 30/01/2019         Naples Court of Appeal, R.G. 1992/2019, 18/09/2019       Naples Court of Appeal, R.G. 2165/2020, 10/12/2020       Naples Court of Appeal, R.G. 799/2021, 15/04/2021   16/06/2017             30/01/2019               18/09/2019             10/12/2020             15/04/2021   pending More than 7 years and 4 months and 20 days     pending More than 5 years and 9 months and 6 days     pending More than 5 years and 1 month 18 days     pending More than 3 years and 10 months 26 days     pending More than 3 years and 6 months and 21 days   Ministry of Justice, payment of lawyer legal fees (avvocato antistatario) A contrario, Izzo and Others, no. 46141/12, 30 May 2017 Prot. 1 Art. 1 - lack of or delayed payment of a debt by State authorities 4,450 -   [1] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants. [2] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants.