Cataldo and Others v. Italy

FIRST SECTION

Application no. 35860/23 Maria CATALDO against Italy and 3 other applications

(see appended table)

The European Court of Human Rights (First Section), sitting on 5 December 2024 as a Committee composed of:

Georgios A. Serghides , President , Erik Wennerström, Alain Chablais , judges ,

and Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,

Having regard to the above applications lodged on the various dates indicated in the appended table,

Having regard to the declarations submitted by the respondent Government requesting the Court to strike the applications out of the list of cases,

Having deliberated, decides as follows:

FACTS AND PROCEDURE

The list of applicants is set out in the appended table.

The applicants’ complaints under Article 6 § 1 of the Convention and Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 concerning the non-enforcement or delayed enforcement of “Pinto” domestic decisions were communicated to the Italian Government (“the Government”).

THE LAW

Having regard to the similar subject matter of the applications, the Court finds it appropriate to examine them jointly in a single decision.

The Government informed the Court that they proposed to make unilateral declarations with a view to resolving the issues raised by these complaints. They further requested the Court to strike out the applications in accordance with Article 37 of the Convention.

The Government acknowledged the delayed enforcement of “Pinto” domestic decisions. They offered to pay the applicants the amounts detailed in the appended table and invited the Court to strike the applications out of the list of cases in accordance with Article 37 § 1 (c) of the Convention. The amounts would be payable within three months from the date of notification of the Court’s decision. In the event of failure to pay these amounts within the above-mentioned three-month period, the Government undertook to pay simple interest on them, from the expiry of that period until settlement, at a rate equal to the marginal lending rate of the European Central Bank during the default period plus three percentage points.

The payment will constitute the final resolution of the cases.

The applicants were sent the terms of the Government’s unilateral declarations several weeks before the date of this decision. The Court has not received a response from the applicants accepting the terms of the declarations.

The Court observes that Article 37 § 1 (c) enables it to strike a case out of its list if:

“... for any other reason established by the Court, it is no longer justified to continue the examination of the application”.

Thus, it may strike out applications under Article 37 § 1 (c) on the basis of a unilateral declaration by a respondent Government even if the applicants wish the examination of the cases to be continued (see, in particular, the Tahsin Acar v. Turkey judgment (preliminary objections) [GC], no. 26307/95, §§ 75 ‑ 77, ECHR 2003-VI).

The Court has established clear and extensive case-law concerning complaints relating to the non-enforcement or delayed enforcement of “Pinto” domestic decisions (see, for example, Gaglione and Others v. Italy, nos. 45867/07 and others, 21 December 2010, and Gagliano Giorgi v. Italy, no. 23563/07, 6 March 2012).

Noting the admissions contained in the Government’s declarations as well as the amount of compensation proposed – which is consistent with the amounts awarded in similar cases – the Court considers that it is no longer justified to continue the examination of the applications (Article 37 § 1 (c)).

In the light of the above considerations, the Court is satisfied that respect for human rights as defined in the Convention and the Protocols thereto does not require it to continue the examination of the applications (Article 37 § 1 in fine ).

Finally, the Court emphasises that, should the Government fail to comply with the terms of their unilateral declarations, the applications may be restored to the list in accordance with Article 37 § 2 of the Convention (see Josipović v. Serbia (dec.), no. 18369/07, 4 March 2008).

In view of the above, it is appropriate to strike the cases out of the list.

For these reasons, the Court, unanimously,

Decides to join the applications;

Takes note of the terms of the respondent Government’s declarations and of the arrangements for ensuring compliance with the undertakings referred to therein;

Decides to strike the applications out of its list of cases in accordance with Article 37 § 1 (c) of the Convention.

Done in English and notified in writing on 16 January 2025.

Viktoriya Maradudina Georgios A. Serghides Acting Deputy Registrar President

APPENDIX

List of applications raising complaints under Article 6 § 1 of the Convention and Article 1 of Protocol No. 1

(non-enforcement or delayed enforcement of Pinto domestic decisions)

No.

Application no. Date of introduction

Applicant’s name

Year of birth

Representative’s name and location

Date of receipt of Government’s declaration

Amount awarded for non-pecuniary damage

per applicant

(in euros) [1]

Amount awarded for costs and expenses per application

(in euros) [2]

35860/23

22/09/2023

Maria CATALDO

1968

Liguori Michele

Naples

16/09/2024

200

30

42137/23

16/11/2023

(5 applicants)

Cosimo DE VITA

1943

Cesario DE BLASI

1963

Ippazio DE FRANCESCO

1961

Giovanni DE MASI

1968

Francesco DE NUCCIO

1956

Pasca Antonio

Rome

16/09/2024

200

30

43050/23

04/12/2023

(8 applicants)

Agostino CONTE

1959

Michelino MICOLANI

1954

Luigi NICOLARDI

1951

Roberto PERSANO

1959

Antonio Giorgio ROSSETTI

1965

Natalino SCARPA

1957

Luigi TOMA

1952

Giuseppe VERDOSCIA

1949

Pasca Antonio

Rome

16/09/2024

200

30

43096/23

29/11/2023

(21 applicants)

Cosimo ALBERTONE

1943

Angelo ANGIULLI

1958

Vincenzo ANNESI

1967

Sergio ATTANASI

1960

Venanzio Antonio BLANDINI

1957

Mario BONUSO

1955

Vincenza BOTTONE

1965

Rosanna BUFFO

1958

Maurizio Andrea CALABRESE

1964

Pantaleo CALVARA

1954

Salvatore CAMISA

1964

Nicolò CURCI

1950

Sergio Ippazio D’AUTILIA

1952

Franco DI LAURO

1951

Giovanni DI PRISCO

1958

Roberto GAETANI

1968

Giovanni GALATI

1954

Pantaleo GALIOTTA

1958

Luigi GIANNONE

1951

Pasca Antonio

Rome

16/09/2024

200

30

[1] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants

[2] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants