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Casenote – Berlusconi at the European Court of Justice – C-387/02

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 March 2019

Flaminia Tacconi

Extract

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On the 3rd of May 2005, the ECJ gave judgment in the Silvio Berlusconi and Others case dealing with the provisions of the First (D68/151/EEC), Fourth (D78/660/EEC) and Seventh (D83/349/EEC) Companies Directives and the transposing Italian national provisions. The case is a preliminary ruling referred to the ECJ by several Italian courts (Tribunale di Milano, Corte d'Appello di Lecce) on the basis of Art.234 EC Treaty. It has been decided by the Grand Chamber of the ECJ, which is quite indicative of a significant judgment. Furthermore, the Grand Chamber did not follow the opinion of the Advocate General Kokott. Finally, it is interesting to note that no other government except the Italian Government contributed to the case. This last fact seems very strange having regard to the highly sensitive issue. Indeed the decision deals with the criminal sanctions for false accounting.

Type
Developments
Information
German Law Journal , Volume 7 , Issue 3 , 01 March 2006 , pp. 313 - 321
Copyright
Copyright © 2006 by German Law Journal GbR 

References

1 Joined Cases C-387/02, Silvio Berlusconi, C-391/02, Sergio Adelchi, C-403/02, Marcello dell'Utri and Others, 2005 ECR I-0000.Google Scholar

2 Case C-457/02, Niselli, 2004 ECR I-0000.Google Scholar

3 Case C-387/02, Silvio Berlusconi, 2005 ECR I-0000, paragraph 56 to 63.Google Scholar

4 Opinion of the Advocate General Kokott Joined Cases C-387/02, C-391/02 and C-403/02, Berlusconi and Others, 2005 ECR I-0000, point 74.Google Scholar

5 Case 80/86, Kolpinghuis Nijmegen, 1987 ECR I-3969, paragraph 14; Case C-168/95, Arcaro, 1996 ECR I-4705, paragraph 36, and Case C-60/02, X, 2004 ECR I-0000, paragraph 61.Google Scholar

6 Joined Cases C-387/02, Silvio Berlusconi, C-391/02, Sergio Adelchi, C-403/02, Marcello dell'Utri and Others, 2005 ECR I-0000, conclusions.Google Scholar

7 Case 80/86, Kolpinghuis Nijmegen, 1987 ECR 3969, paragraph 13/14; Case C-168/95, Arcaro, 1996 ECR I-4705, paragraph 36, and Case C-60/02, X, 2004 ECR I-0000.Google Scholar

8 Case C-457/02, Niselli, 2004 ECR I-0000, paragraph 30.Google Scholar

9 Opinion of the Advocate General Kokott Joined Cases C-387/02, C-391/02 and C-403/02, Berlusconi and Others, 2005 ECR I-0000, point 163 and 170; Opinion of the Advocate General Kokott Case C-457/02, Niselli, 2004 ECR I-0000, points 74/75.Google Scholar

10 In this sense Ivo Gross, Keine Strafverfolgung wegen Bilanzfälschung auf Grund einer Richtlinie – Berlusconi, NJW Nr. 12, 369, 372 (2005).Google Scholar

11 Joined Cases C-387/02, Silvio Berlusconi and Others, paragraph 68/69.Google Scholar

12 In this sense Denys Simon, Primauté du droit communautaire et rétroactivité in mitius des lois pénales, Europe - Actualité du droit communautaire Nr. 7, 12,13 (2005).Google Scholar

13 Joined Cases C-387/02, Silvio Berlusconi and Others, paragraph 68.Google Scholar

14 Joined Cases C-387/02, Silvio Berlusconi and Others, paragraph 70/71.Google Scholar

15 Joined Cases C-387/02, Silvio Berlusconi and Others, paragraph 70.Google Scholar

16 In this sense Marilisa D'Amico, Il favor rei fra legislatore nazionale e vincoli comunitari, Quaderni costituzionali Nr.1, 177, 180 (2005).Google Scholar

17 Opinion of the Advocate General Kokott Joined Cases C-387/02, C-391/02 and C-403/02, Berlusconi and Others, 2005 ECR I-0000, points 162 to 167. Opinion of the Advocate General Kokott Case C-457/02, Niselli, 2004 ECR I-0000, points 69, 74 and 75.Google Scholar