Published on 28 February 2022
FIRST SECTION
Application no. 24735/16
Cecilia RULLO against Italy
and 29 other applications
(see list appended)
communicated on 7 February 2022
SUBJECT MATTER OF THE CASES
The applications concern the application of retrospective legislation, specifically Article 1 § 218 of Law no. 266/2005 of 23 December 2005 to pending national proceedings commenced by the applicants.
The applicants (or their ascendants or spouses) had initially been employed by the local government authorities. When they were transferred, under Article 8 of Law no. 124/1999, to work for the Ministry of Education, Universities and Research, their length of service with the local government authorities, their original employer, was not fully recognised for financial and legal purposes. The applicants lodged proceedings before national courts (see appended table for details) arguing that the conversion of their salary into a notional length of service with the new employer upon transfer had been unlawful and detrimental. They sought placement in the professional grade corresponding to their full length of service from the date of the transfer as well as the determination of any compensation due to them. After the issuance of the judgments of first instance, Article 1 § 218 of Law no. 266/2005 of 23 December 2005 entered into force. This provision intended to give effect to what the legislator claimed to be the original intention of the Parliament when adopting Article 8 of Law no. 124/1999. Relying on that interpretative law the domestic courts dismissed the applicants’ claims. The applicants challenged the judgments before the Court of Cassation. In the course of the proceedings, following the judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union of 6 September 2011 in Scattolon, C-108/10, the Court of Cassation remitted the case to the courts of appeal for determination of whether the transferred employees had suffered a substantial loss of salary solely as a result of the transfer. The domestic courts dismissed the applicants’ claims. The applicants appealed against those judgments and the Court of Cassation dismissed their appeals. In some of its judgments, the Court of Cassation refused to refer a question of constitutionality of Article 1 § 218 of Law no. 266/2005, stating that the matter had already been assessed by the Constitutional Court. According to the Court of Cassation, in particular, there was no reason to refer a new question of the constitutionality of the contested provision, even though the Constitutional Court had decided before the delivery of the Court’s judgment in Agrati and Others v. Italy, nos. 43549/08 and 2 others, 7 June 2011, since the Constitutional Court had recognised the existence of overriding reasons relating to the public interest which justified retrospective application of the contested law and had established that the power to make such assessment rested with the Constitutional Court itself.
QUESTIONS TO THE PARTIES
1. Did the applicants have a fair hearing in the determination of their civil rights and obligations, in accordance with Article 6 § 1 of the Convention?
In particular, was there interference by the legislature with the administration of justice designed to influence the judicial determination of a dispute on account of the retrospective application to their case of Article 1 § 218 of Law no. 266/2005 (see Agrati and Others v. Italy, nos. 43549/08 and 2 others, 7 June 2011, and Cicero and Others v. Italy, nos. 29483/11 and 4 others, 30 January 2020)?
If so, was that interference based on compelling grounds of general interest?
2. Has there been an interference with the applicants’ peaceful enjoyment of their possessions, within the meaning of Article 1 of Protocol No. 1, considering the enactment of Article 1 § 218 of Law no. 266/2005?
If so, did the interference impose an excessive individual burden on the applicants?
ADDITIONAL QUESTION TO THE PARTIES AS REGARDS APPLICATIONS NOS. 24043/19, 25208/19, 25216/19, 27807/19, 27988/19, 27990/19, 30650/19, 42368/19, 42374/19, 42376/19, 42489/19, 43936/19, 47248/19, 23252/21 AND 52069/21
Having regard to the refusal of the Court of Cassation to refer a question of constitutionality of the contested law on the basis that the Constitutional Court had already decided a similar matter, even though this judgment (i) was issued before the publication of the Court’s judgment in Agrati and Others v. Italy, nos. 43549/08 and 2 others, 7 June 2011, and (ii) declared ill-founded the question of constitutionality and, therefore, did not preclude the referral of new questions of constitutionality on the same provision, especially when the development of the case-law of the Court provided for new arguments to consider a question of constitutionality not manifestly ill-founded, the Government are requested to clarify under which conditions the domestic legal system requests national judges to bring the interpretation of the Convention’s provisions offered by the development of the case-law of the Court to the attention of the Constitutional Court.
APPENDIX
No.
Application no.
Case name
Lodged on
Applicant
Year of Birth
Place of Residence
Nationality
Represented by
First instance judgment
Second instance judgment
First judgment of the Court of Cassation
Referral to the Court of Appeal
Final judgment of the Court of Cassation
1.
24735/16
Rullo v. Italy
26/04/2016
Cecilia RULLO
1955
Lanciano
Italian
Elisabetta
MERLINO
Judgment
of Lanciano
District Court
of 16/03/2004
no 82
Judgment
of Court of Appeal of L’Aquila
of 06/06/2008
no 774
Judgment
of 28/11/2011
no 25129
Judgment
of Court of Appeal of L’Aquila of 24/07/2013
no 811
Judgment
of 28/10/2015
no 22011
2.
24775/16
Annecchini
v. Italy
26/04/2016
Giuseppe ANNECCHINI
1957
Lanciano
Italian
Elisabetta
MERLINO
Judgment
of Lanciano
District Court
of 16/03/2004
no 81
Judgment
of Court of Appeal of
L’Aquila of 09/06/2008
no 459
Judgment
of 28/11/2011
no 25114
Judgment of Court of Appeal of L’Aquila
25/07/2013
no 803
Judgment
of 28/10/2015
no 22012
3.
25743/16
D’Antonio
v. Italy
30/04/2016
Donato D’ANTONIO
1951
Lanciano
Italian
Elisabetta
MERLINO
Judgment
of Lanciano District Court of 16/04/2004
no 108
Judgment
of Court of Appeal of L’Aquila
of 06/06/2008
no 784
Judgment
of 28/11/2011
no 25112
Judgment
of Court of Appeal of L’Aquila of 25/07/2013
no 814
Judgment
of 04/11/2015 no 22517
4.
25750/16
Gargrella
v. Italy
30/04/2016
Sergio GARGRELLA
1951
Lanciano
Italian
Elisabetta
MERLINO
Judgment
of Lanciano District Court of
21/04/2004
no 123
Judgment
of Court of Appeal of L’Aquila of
09/06/2008
no 488
Judgment
of
28/11/2011
no 25121
Judgment of Court of Appeal of
L’Aquila
of 24/07/2013
no 805
Judgment
of 04/11/2015
no 22514
5.
25753/16
Giacomucci v. Italy
30/04/2016
Maria Cristina GIACOMUCCI
1960
Vasto
Italian
Elisabetta MERLINO
Judgment
of Vasto District Court of
22/04/2005
no 74
Judgment
of Court of Appeal of
L’Aquila of
28/07/2008
no 499
Judgment
of 28/11/2011
no 25108
Judgment of Court of Appeal of
L’Aquila
of 24/07/2013
no 806
Judgment
of 04/11/2015
no 22515
6.
25956/16
Romano
v. Italy
03/05/2016
Franca ROMANO
1960
Cepagatti
Italian
Elisabetta MERLINO
Judgment
Of Chieti District Court of 07/07/2005
no 300
Judgment
of Court of Appeal of L’Aquila of 04/08/2008
no 715
Judgment
of
28/11/2011
no 25124
Judgment of Court of Appeal of
L’Aquila 25/02/2013 no 78
Judgment
of 05/11/2015
no 22610
7.
29770/16
Di Marzio
v. Italy
19/05/2016
Velia Cristina
DI MARZIO
1947
Fossacesia
Italian
Elisabetta MERLINO
Judgment
of Lanciano District Court of 16/12/2005
no 525
Judgment
of Court of Appeal of
L’Aquila of 25/07/2008
no 876
Judgment
of 28/11/2011
no 25133
Judgment of Court of Appeal of L’Aquila
of 25/07/2013
no 813
Judgment
of 21/10/2015 no 24932
8.
44720/18
Di Biase
v. Italy
14/09/2018
Donato Ottavio
DI BIASE
1938
Chieti
Italian
Elisabetta MERLINO
Judgment
of Lanciano
District Court of
18/03/2005
no 44
Judgment
of Court of Appeal of L’Aquila of 25/06/2008
no 690
Judgment
of 28/11/2011
no 25125
Judgment of Court of Appeal of L’Aquila of
25/02/2013
no 81
Judgment
of 15/03/2018
no 6430
9.
44724/18
D’Ippolito
v. Italy
14/09/2018
Pina D’IPPOLITO
1961
Colle di Mezzo
Italian
Elisabetta MERLINO
Judgment
of Lanciano
District Court of 29/10/2004
no 352
Judgment
of Court of Appeal of L’Aquila of 12/05/2008
no 575
Judgment
of 28/11/2011
no 25105
Judgment of Court of Appeal of L’Aquila of 23/02/2013
no 79
Judgment
of 14/03/2018
no 6328
10.
44726/18
Bronzo
v. Italy
14/09/2018
Alessandro BRONZO
1961
Vasto
Italian
Elisabetta MERLINO
Judgment
of Vasto
District Court of 02/07/2004
no 138
Judgment
of Court of Appeal of L’Aquila of 09/06/2008
no 492
Judgment
of 28/11/2011
no 25116
Judgment of Court of Appeal of
L’Aquila of 28/01/2013
no 56
Order
of 15/03/2018
no 6431
11.
45910/18
Nardone
v. Italy
26/09/2018
Rosanna NARDONE
1952
Lanciano
Italian
Elisabetta MERLINO
Judgment
of Lanciano
District Court of
16/04/2004
no 109
Judgment
of Court of Appeal of L’ Aquila 09/06/2008
no 468
Judgment
of 28/11/2011
no 25115
Judgment of Court of Appeal of L’Aquila of 28/01/2013 no 54
Order
of 05/04/2018
no 8413
12.
45913/18
Marchegiano v. Italy
14/09/2018
Biagio Donato MARCHEGIANO
1952
Lanciano
Italian
Elisabetta MERLINO
Judgment
of Lanciano
District Court of 21/04/2004
no 119
Judgment
of Court of Appeal of L’Aquila of 09/06/2008
no 487
Judgment
of 28/11/2011
no 25123
Judgment of Court of Appeal of
L’Aquila of 28/01/2013
no 57
Order
of 28/03/2018 no 7566
13.
24043/19
D’Amico
v. Italy
24/04/2019
Gabriella D’AMICO
1945
Castel Frentano
Italian
Gabriele SALVATORE
Judgment
of Lanciano District Court of 09/08/2004
no 261
Judgment
of Court of Appeal of L’Aquila of 30/05/2008 no 572
Judgment
of 30/11/2011 no 25388
Judgment of Court of Appeal of L’Aquila of 18/12/2013
no 1416
Order
of 02/11/2018
no 28033
14.
24793/19
Campanella v. Italy
02/05/2019
Elvira CAMPANELLA
1952
Francavilla al mare
Italian
Gabriele SALVATORE
Judgment
of Chieti District Court of 20/01/2005
no 28
Judgment
Court of Appeal of L’Aquila
of
09/06/2008
no 668
Judgment
of 30/11/2011
no 2538/7
Judgment
Court of Appeal of L’Aquila 24/01/2014
no 59
Order
of 08/11/2018
no 28603
15.
25208/19
Spaventa
v. Italy
29/04/2019
Antonina SPAVENTA
1943
Atessa
Italian
Gabriele SALVATORE
Judgment
of Lanciano
District Court of 09/08/2004
no 271
Judgment
Court of Appeal of L’Aquila of 11/06/2008
no 502
Judgment of 30/11/2011
no 25393
Judgment
Court of Appeal of L’Aquila of 16/12/2013
no 1429
Order
of 05/11/2018
no 28161
16.
25216/19
Ricci v. Italy
29/04/2019
Maria Pia RICCI
1958
Ortona
Italian
Gabriele SALVATORE
Judgment
of Chieti
District Court of 03/02/2005
no 36
Judgment
of Court of Appeal of L’Aquila of 13/06/2008
no 638
Judgment
of 30/11/2011
no 25408
Court of appeal of
L’Aquila of
16/12/2013
no 1430
Order
of 08/11/2018
no 28604
17.
27807/19
Scaglione
v. Italy
16/05/2019
Leda Maria Loredana SCAGLIONE
1949
Lanciano
Italian
Gabriele SALVATORE
Judgment
of Lanciano
District Court of 13/12/2004
no 432
Judgment
of Court of Appeal of
L’Aquila of 16/07/2008
no 598
Judgment of 30/11/2011
no 25396
Court of appeal of
L’Aquila of 05/12/2013
no 1423
Order
of
22/11/2018
no 30266
18.
27988/19
D’Andrea
v. Italy
16/05/2019
Nicola D’ANDREA
1954
Casoli
Italian
Gabriele SALVATORE
Judgment
of Lanciano
District Court of 03/08/2005
no 298
Judgment
of Court of Appeal of L’Aquila 25/07/2008
no 884
Judgment of 30/11/2011
no 25395
Court of appeal of
L’Aquila of 16/12/2013
no 1426
Order
of
20/11/2018 no 29937
19.
27990/19
Manzi v. Italy
16/05/2019
Enio MANZI
1948
Pollutri
Italian
Gabriele SALVATORE
Judgment
of Vasto
District Court of 12/11/2004
no 244
Judgment
of Court of Appeal of L’Aquila of 12/05/2008
no 577
Judgment of 30/11/2011
no 25390
Court of appeal of
L’Aquila of 09/12/2013
no 1414
Order
of
20/11/2018
no 29938
20.
30650/19
Toniolo and Others
v. Italy
29/05/2019
Matteo TONIOLO
1982
Padoue
Italian
Maria Cristina ENRICIO
1966
Padoue
Italian
Carlo DERNI
1944
Ospedaletto Euganeo
Italian
Paolo FINESSO
1957
Padoue
Italian
Anna Maria CIATTO
1953
Padoue
Italian
Raffaella PASSUDETTI
1968
Vigonza
Italian
Gianni SBRIZZA
1967
Camposampiero
Italian
Rosanna CRIVELLARO
1948
Padoue
Italian
Marco TONIOLO
1974
Padoue
Italian
Renato ZORZETTO
1965
Campo San Martino
Italian
Angela CARPESIO
1968
Saccolongo
Italian
Giulio GALLANI
1954
Padoue
Italian
Giorgio AGNOLIN
1956
Montegrotto Terme
Italian
Sandro BENATO
1959
Vigonza
Italian
Francesco MENEGHINI
1956
VO
Italian
Giampaolo TOMANIN
1957
Lendinara
Italian
Enrico CONTIN
1959
Padoue
Italian
Renato BON
1945
Padoue
Italian
Renato CAMPAGNOLO
1951
Camignano di Brenta
Italian
Orfeo SARTORE
1954
Cittadella
Italian
Maria FERRONATO
1955
Tombolo
Italian
Nicola ZAMPIERI
Judgment of Padova District Court
of 14/12/2005
no 549/2004
Judgment of Appeal of Venice
04/12/2018
no 275
Judgment of 12/10/2012 no 17251
Court of appeal of Bologna of 16/09/2014 no 10087
Order
of 29/11/2018 no 30916
21.
42368/19
Garato and Others
v. Italy
26/07/2019
Emanuela GARATO
1959
ROVIGO
Italian
Patrizia CECCHETTO
1960
Villadose
Italian
Carlo Alberto MERLO
1954
Lendinara
Italian
Giovanni ROMANO
Judgment
of
Rovigo District Court of:
03/03/2006
no 21
03/06/2005
no 226
03/06/2005
no 224
Judgment
of Court of Appeal of
Venise of:
19/12/2008
no 277
02/01/2009
no 235/2008
20/01/2009
no 263/2008
Judgment
of
27/02/2013 no 4879
25/02/2013 no 4665
22/02/2013 no 4555
Judgment
of Court of Appeal of Brescia of 21/01/2014 no 11
Order
of 18/03/2019 no 7610
22.
42374/19
Volpe and Tumiatti
v. Italy
26/07/2019
Fabio VOLPE
1946
S. Martino di Venezze
Italian
Carla TUMIATTI
1958
Adria
Italian
Giovanni ROMANO
Judgment
of Rovigo
District Court of 04/10/2005
nos 553- 551
Judgment
of Court of Appeal of Venice of 22/02/2008
no 739/2007
Judgment
of 19/10/2012
no 1805
Judgment
of Court of Appeal of Bologna
of 28/08/2014
no 1067
Order
of 28/02/2019
no 5999
23.
42376/19
Brusco
v. Italy
26/07/2019
Lores BRUSCO
1954
ROVIGO
Italian
Giovanni ROMANO
Judgment
of Rovigo
District Court of 05/08/2005
no 400
Judgment
of Court of Appeal of Venise
of 11/12/2008
no 264
Judgment
of 15/01/2013
no 804
Judgment
of Court of Appeal of Trieste of 25/02/2014
no 558/2013
Order
of 08/03/2019
no 6879
24.
42489/19
Benini and Others
v. Italy
26/07/2019
Livio BENINI
1953
Villamarzana
Italian
Sabrina ANDRIOLI
1971
Rovigo
Italian
Aida LAVEZZO
1947
Rovigo
Italian
Giuseppe TAGLIARI
1958
Costa di Rovigo
Italian
Gianpaolo TOSI
1964
Bergantino
Italian
Giovanni ROMANO
Judgment
of Rovigo
District Court of 30/01/2006
nos: 787/2005
788/2005
790/2005
791/2005
792/2005
793/2005
Judgment
Court of Appeal of Venise of 11/03/2008
no 772/2007
Judgment of
18/10/2012
no 17877
Judgment
of Court of Appeal of Bologna of 28/08/2014
no 1077
Order
of 28/02/2019
no 6000
25.
43667/19
Calore
v. Italy
07/08/2019
Lello CALORE
1944
Pescara
Italian
Isacco SULLAM
Judgment
of Pescara District Court of 19/05/2005
no 1044
Judgment
of Court of Appeal of L’Aquila of 28/04/2008
no 517
Judgment
of 28/11/2011
no 25144
Judgment
Court of Appeal of L’Aquila of 26/07/2013
no 868
Judgment
of 20/02/2019
no 4957
26.
43703/19
Briatore and Others
v. Italy
07/08/2019
Piero BRIATORE
1950
Savona
Italian
Rodolfo BARBIERO
1949
Savona
Italian
Carlo BERTANI
1951
Saliceto
Italian
Claudio AONZO
1942
Savona
Italian
Adolfo BARABINO
1946
Savona
Italian
Luisa BARGNOLO
1960
Savona
Italian
Maurizio AGAMENNONE
1954
Savona
Italian
Isacco SULLAM
Judgment of Savona District Court of 28/02/2003
no 537/2002
Judgment
of Court of Appeal of Genova of 15/01/2007
no 1342
Judgment
20/11/2012
no 20328
Judgment of Court of Appeal of Genova
of 15/05/2013
no 199
Order
14/02/2019
no 4439
27.
43936/19
Sontuoso and Others
v. Italy
26/07/2019
Alessandro SONTUOSO
1963
Rovigo
Italian
Riccardo FIORATTO
1965
Polesella
Italian
Adamo VERNIZZI
1948
Castel Guglielmo
Italian
Giovanni ROMANO
Judgment
of Rovigo
District Court of
03/06/2005
nos 232 – 231 – 229
Judgment
of Court of Appeal of Venice of 27/11/2017
no 599
Judgment
of 22/10/2012
no 18116
Judgment
of Court of Appeal of Bologna
28/08/2014
no 1069
Order
of 12/02/2019
no 4087
28.
47248/19
Biancardi
v. Italy
02/09/2019
Roberto BIANCARDI
1946
Baone
Italian
Serena BIANCARDI
Judgment
Padova District Court of 12/09/2006
no 1078/2005
Judgment
of Court of Appeal of Venise
of 24/12/2008
no 279
Judgment of 01/03/2013
no 5155
Judgment
of Court of Appeal of Brescia
25/03/2015
no 138/2014
Order
of
20/03/2019
no 7859
29.
23252/21
Cattozzo
v. Italy
23/04/2021
Liliana CATTOZZO
1950
Canda
Italian
Nicola ZAMPIERI
Judgment
Rovigo
District Court of
03/05/2005
no 289
Judgment
of Court of Appeal of Venice of 10/12/2007
no 598
Judgment
of 13/07/2012
no 12026
Judgment of Court of Appeal of Bologna of 19/02/2015
no 87
Order
of 23/10/2020
no 23382
30
52069/21
Malin v. Italy
30/09/2021
Maria Luisa MALIN
1951
Lusia (RO)
Italian
Nicola ZAMPIERI
Judgment
Rovigo
District Court of
11/11/2005
no 661
Judgment
of Court of Appeal of Venice of 20/03/2008
no 773
Judgment
of 13/07/2013
no 12030
Judgment of Court of Appeal of Bologna 20/11/2014 no 1533
Order
of
31/03/2021
no 8968