SECOND SECTION

DECISION

AS TO THE ADMISSIBILITY OF

Application no. 32363/96 by Amina BERTINI against Italy

The European Court of Human Rights (Second Section) , sitting on 15 March 2001 as a Chamber composed of

Mr C.L. Rozakis , President , Mr A.B. Baka , Mr G. Bonello , Mr P. Lorenzen , Mrs M. Tsatsa-Nikolovska , Mr E. Levits , Mr A. Kovler , judges ,

and Mr E. Fribergh , Section Registrar ,

Having regard to the above application introduced with the European Commission of Human Rights on 26 February 1996 and registered on 22 July 1996,

Having regard to Article 5 § 2 of Protocol No. 11 to the Convention, by which the competence to examine the application was transferred to the Court,

Having regard to the observations submitted by the respondent Government and the observations in reply submitted by the applicant,

Having deliberated, decides as follows:

THE FACTS

The applicant is an Italian national, born in 1906 and living in Rome. She is represented before the Court by Mr Francesco Leonardi, a lawyer practising in Rome.

A. The circumstances of the case

The facts of the case, as submitted by the parties, may be summarised as follows:

The applicant is the owner of an apartment in Rome, which she had let to L.G.

In a registered letter of 28 June 1982, the applicant informed the tenant that she intended to terminate the lease on expiry of the term on 31 December 1982 and asked him to vacate the premises by that date.

On 28 June 1982 she served a notice to quit on the tenant, but he refused to leave.

In a writ served on the tenant on 3 December 1984, the applicant reiterated her intention to terminate the lease and summoned the tenant to appear before the Rome Magistrate.

On 29 January 1985, the Rome Magistrate upheld the validity of the notice to quit and ordered that the premises must be vacated by 29 January 1986. That decision was made enforceable on 29 January 1985.

On 18 April 1986, the applicant served notice on the tenant requiring him to vacate the premises.

On 13 May 1986 she served notice on the tenant informing him that the order for possession would be enforced by a bailiff on 10 July 1986.

Between 10 July 1986 and 2 October 1997 the bailiff made 42 attempts to recover possession, on 10 July 1986, 30 September 1986, 5 November 1986, 15 January 1987, 5 May 1987, 2 June 1987, 15 July 1987, 25 September 1987, 30 October 1987, 15 December 1987, 10 February 1988, 4 October 1988, 7 March 1989, 7 June 1989, 5 October 1989, 6 December 1989, 28 March 1990, 14 June 1990, 19 October 1990, 28 November 1990, 8 March 1991, 28 May 1991, 20 June 1991, 4 October 1991, 5 November 1991, 28 January 1992, 15 May 1992, 9 July 1992, 29 October 1992, 9 February 1993, 18 May 1993, 30 September 1993, 11 February 1994, 27 May 1994, 6 October 1994, 18 November 1994, 28 July 1995, 28 February 1996, 28 March 1996, 28 November 1996, 4 September 1997 and 2 October 1997.

Each attempt proved unsuccessful, as, under the statutory provisions providing for the suspension or the staggering of evictions, the applicant was not entitled to police assistance in enforcing the order for possession.

On 12 November 1997, the tenant spontaneously vacated the apartment.

B. Relevant domestic law

The relevant domestic law is described in the judgment Immobiliare Saffi v. Italy [GC], no. 22774/93, 28.7.99, §§ 18-35, ECHR-V.

COMPLAINTS

1. The applicant complains under Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 about her prolonged inability - through lack of police assistance - to recover possession of her apartment.

2. The applicant further complains under Article 6 § 1 of the Convention about the duration of the eviction proceedings.

THE LAW

The applicant complains that her inability to recover possession of her apartment amounted to a violation of Article 1 of Protocol No. 1, which provides:

“Every natural or legal person is entitled to the peaceful enjoyment of his possessions. No one shall be deprived of his possessions except in the public interest and subject to the conditions provided for by law and by the general principles of international law.

The preceding provisions shall not, however, in any way impair the right of a State to enforce such laws as it deems necessary to control the use of property in accordance with the general interest or to secure the payment of taxes or other contributions or penalties.”

The applicant further complains about the duration of the eviction proceedings. Article 6 of the Convention, insofar as relevant, provides as follows:

“In the determination of his civil rights and obligations ..., everyone is entitled to a ... hearing within a reasonable time by [a] ... tribunal ...”

The Government argue that the applicant has not exhausted domestic remedies. They submit that she has failed to issue proceedings in the administrative courts challenging the refusal of police assistance and to raise, in the same proceedings, the constitutionality of the legislative provisions concerned.

The applicant contests the Government’s arguments. She argues that the prefectoral committee never adopted a formal decision refusing police assistance and that, at any event, the proceedings in the administrative courts would not have been effective, given the length of these proceedings before Italian courts.

The Court recalls that it has already dismissed this objection in the Immobiliare Saffi case (see the Immobiliare Saffi judgment cited above, §§ 40-42). As the Government have not submitted any new argument in support of their objection, the Court sees no reason to depart from its previous finding. This exception should therefore be rejected.

The Government further argue that the arrangements for staggering the police assistance were not part of the judicial process for enforcement of orders for possession, since police intervention was an administrative issue, entirely separate from and independent of the judicial process. That administrative phase can not be said to come within the scope of Article 6.

The Court recalls that it has already held that Article 6 of the Convention is applicable to the tenants eviction proceedings (see the Immobiliare Saffi judgment cited above, §§ 62-63). As the Government have not submitted any new argument in support of their objection, the Court sees no reason to depart from its previous finding. This exception should therefore also be rejected.

On the merits, the Government maintain that the measures in question amount to a control of the use of property which pursues the legitimate aim of avoiding the social tensions and troubles to public order that would occur if a considerable number of orders for possession were to be enforced simultaneously. In their opinion, the interference with the applicant’s property rights was not disproportionate.

The applicant argues that the impossibility to repossess her apartment during 10 years from the issue of the order for possession amounts to a violation of her right under Article 1 of Protocol No. 1. She argues that in the Italian legal system tenants are overprotected.

As to the length of the enforcement proceedings, the Government maintain that the delay in providing the assistance of the police is justified by the protection of the public interest.

The applicant argues that the refusal of the administration to enforce the order issued by the magistrate has interfered with the power of the judiciary.

The Court considers that the application raises complex and serious issues which require a determination on the merits. It follows that it cannot be considered manifestly ill-founded within the meaning of Article 35 § 3 of the Convention. No other ground for declaring the application inadmissible has been established.

For these reasons, the Court unanimously

Declares the application admissible, without prejudging the merits of the case.

Erik Fribergh Christos Rozakis Registrar President