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PARALLEL TEXTS
La Slovacchia non ha violato il diritto dell’Unione rifiutando l’ingresso nel proprio territorio al Presidente dell’Ungheria
Inglese tratto da:
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_CJE-12-131_en.htm
Italiano tratto da: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_CJE-12-131_it.htm
Data documento: 17-10-2012
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Slovakia did not breach EU law by refusing entry into its territory to the President of Hungary
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La Slovacchia non ha violato il diritto dell’Unione rifiutando l’ingresso nel proprio territorio al Presidente dell’Ungheria
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The fact that an EU citizen performs the duties of Head of State is such as to justify a limitation, based on international law, on the exercise of the right of free movement
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La circostanza che un cittadino dell’Unione ricopra le funzioni di capo di Stato è idonea a giustificare una limitazione, fondata sul diritto internazionale, all’esercizio del diritto di libera circolazione
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At the invitation of an association based in Slovakia, the President of Hungary, Mr László Sólyom, had planned to go to the Slovak town of Komárno on 21 August 2009 to take part in a ceremony inaugurating a statue of Saint Stephen.
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Su invito di un’associazione con sede in Slovacchia, il sig. László Sólyom, Presidente dell’Ungheria, si sarebbe dovuto recare il 21 agosto 2009 nella città slovacca di Komárno per partecipare alla cerimonia di inaugurazione di una statua di Santo Stefano.
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20 August is a national holiday in Hungary, in commemoration of Saint Stephen, the founder and first king of the Hungarian State.
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In effetti, il 20 agosto è un giorno di festa nazionale in Ungheria, in commemorazione di Santo Stefano, fondatore e primo re dello Stato ungherese.
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Furthermore, 21 August is considered to be a sensitive date in Slovakia, as it was on 21 August 1968 that the armed forces of five Warsaw Pact countries, which included Hungarian troops, invaded the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic.
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Peraltro, il 21 agosto è una data considerata delicata in Slovacchia, in quanto il 21 agosto 1968 le forze armate di cinque paesi del patto di Varsavia, tra cui le truppe ungheresi, hanno invaso la Repubblica socialista cecoslovacca.
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Following several diplomatic exchanges between the embassies of those two Member States concerning the President of Hungary’s planned visit, the Slovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs finally sent, on 21 August 2009, a note verbale to the Ambassador of Hungary in the Slovak Republic in which it prohibited the President of Hungary from entering Slovak territory.
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In esito a diversi scambi diplomatici tra le ambasciate di questi due Stati membri relativamente alla progettata visita del Presidente dell'Ungheria, il 21 agosto 2009 il Ministero degli Affari Esteri slovacco ha infine trasmesso una nota verbale all'ambasciatore di Ungheria presso la Repubblica slovacca nella quale faceva divieto al Presidente ungherese di entrare in territorio slovacco.
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As justification for that prohibition, that note relied on, inter alia, Directive 2004/38 on freedom of movement within the EU.
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Per giustificare tale divieto, in detta nota si invocava, in particolare, la direttiva 2004/38 sulla libertà di circolazione all’interno dell’Unione europea.
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President Sólyom, having been informed of the terms of that note while on his way to Slovakia, acknowledged receipt of that note at the border and refrained from entering the territory of that Member State.
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Il Presidente Sólyom, informato del contenuto della nota mentre era in viaggio verso la Slovacchia, dava atto alla frontiera di averla ricevuta e rinunciava ad entrare in territorio slovacco.
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Taking the view that the entry of its President into Slovak territory could not be refused on the basis of that directive, Hungary asked the Commission to bring infringement proceedings before the Court of Justice against Slovakia.
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Ritenendo che l’ingresso del suo Presidente in territorio slovacco non potesse essere rifiutato sulla base della predetta direttiva, l’Ungheria ha chiesto alla Commissione di proporre dinanzi alla Corte di giustizia un ricorso per inadempimento contro la Slovacchia.
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The Commission, however, expressed the view that EU law did not apply to visits made by the head of one Member State to the territory of another Member State and that, in those circumstances, the alleged infringement was unfounded.
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La Commissione ha tuttavia ritenuto che il diritto dell’Unione non fosse applicabile alle visite effettuate dal capo di uno Stato membro nel territorio di un altro Stato membro e che, pertanto, non sussistesse l’asserito inadempimento.
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Hungary subsequently decided to introduce, of its own motion, infringement proceedings before the Court against Slovakia, as it is authorised to do under the Treaty.
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L’Ungheria ha allora deciso di proporre dinanzi alla Corte, di propria iniziativa, un ricorso per inadempimento contro la Slovacchia, come consentito dal Trattato.
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The Commission decided to intervene in the proceedings in support of Slovakia.
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La Commissione è intervenuta nel procedimento a sostegno della Slovacchia.
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In its judgment delivered today, the Court finds that, as Mr Sólyom is of Hungarian nationality, he enjoys the status of EU citizen, which confers on him the right to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States.
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Nella sua sentenza odierna la Corte constata che il sig. Sólyom, in quanto cittadino ungherese, gode dello status di cittadino dell’Unione, il che gli conferisce il diritto di circolare e soggiornare nel territorio degli Stati membri.
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However, the Court observes that EU law must be interpreted in the light of the relevant rules of international law, since international law is part of the EU legal order and is thus binding on the European institutions.
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La Corte ricorda tuttavia che il diritto dell’Unione deve essere interpretato alla luce delle pertinenti norme del diritto internazionale, in quanto tale diritto è parte dell’ordinamento giuridico dell’Unione e vincola quindi le istituzioni europee.
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In that respect, the Court states that, on the basis of the customary rules of general international law and those of multilateral agreements, the Head of State enjoys a particular status in international relations which entails, inter alia, privileges and immunities.
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In detto contesto, la Corte rileva che, in base alle norme consuetudinarie di diritto internazionale generale e alle norme risultanti dalle convenzioni multilaterali, un capo di Stato gode, nelle relazioni internazionali, di uno status speciale che comporta privilegi e immunità.
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Thus, the presence of a Head of State on the territory of another State imposes on that latter State the obligation to guarantee the protection of the person carrying out that duty, irrespective of the capacity in which his visit takes place.
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La presenza quindi di un capo di Stato nel territorio di un altro Stato impone a quest'ultimo l'obbligo di garantire la protezione della persona che riveste detta funzione, e ciò indipendentemente dal titolo a cui il suo soggiorno sia effettuato.
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The status of Head of State thus has a specific character, resulting from the fact that it is governed by international law, with the consequence that the conduct of such a person internationally, such as that person’s presence in another State, comes under that law, in particular the law governing diplomatic relations.
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Lo status di capo di Stato presenta quindi una specificità, derivante dal fatto di essere regolato dal diritto internazionale, con la conseguenza che i comportamenti di tale capo di Stato sul piano internazionale, ad esempio la sua presenza all'estero, rientrano nell'ambito di tale diritto, e in particolare del diritto delle relazioni diplomatiche.
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Such a specific character is capable of distinguishing the person who enjoys that status from all other EU citizens, with the result that that person’s access to the territory of another Member State is not subject to the same conditions as those applicable to other citizens.
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Siffatta specificità è idonea a distinguere la persona che gode di tale status da tutti gli altri cittadini dell’Unione, cosicché all'ingresso di detta persona nel territorio di un altro Stato membro non si applicano le stesse condizioni che sono applicabili agli altri cittadini.
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Consequently, the fact that an EU citizen performs the duties of Head of State is such as to justify a limitation, based on international law, on the exercise of the right of movement conferred on that person by EU law.
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Ne consegue che la circostanza che un cittadino dell’Unione ricopra le funzioni di capo di Stato è idonea a giustificare una limitazione, fondata sul diritto internazionale, all'esercizio del diritto di circolazione che il diritto dell’Unione gli conferisce.
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The Court finds that EU law did not oblige Slovakia to guarantee access to its territory to the President of Hungary.
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La Corte dichiara quindi che il diritto dell’Unione non imponeva alla Slovacchia di garantire l'ingresso nel suo territorio al Presidente dell’Ungheria.
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Similarly, while Slovakia was wrong to rely on Directive 2004/38 as a legal basis for refusing the President of Hungary access to its territory, the fact that it did so does not constitute an abuse of rights within the meaning of the Court’s case-law.
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Del pari, benché la Slovacchia abbia invocato erroneamente la direttiva 2004/38 quale fondamento normativo per rifiutare l’ingresso nel suo territorio al Presidente ungherese, tale circostanza non è tuttavia costitutiva di un abuso di diritto ai sensi della giurisprudenza della Corte.
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In those circumstances, the Court dismisses Hungary’s action in its entirety.
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Pertanto, la Corte respinge integralmente il ricorso dell’Ungheria.
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NOTE:
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IMPORTANTE:
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An action for failure to fulfil obligations directed against a Member State which has failed to comply with its obligations under European Union law may be brought by the Commission or by another Member State.
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La Commissione o un altro Stato membro possono proporre un ricorso per inadempimento diretto contro uno Stato membro che è venuto meno ai propri obblighi derivanti dal diritto dell’Unione.
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If the Court of Justice finds that there has been a failure to fulfil obligations, the Member State concerned must comply with the Court’s judgment without delay.
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Qualora la Corte di giustizia accerti l’inadempimento, lo Stato membro interessato deve conformarsi alla sentenza senza indugio.
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Where the Commission takes the view that the Member State has not complied with the judgment, it may bring a further action seeking financial penalties.
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La Commissione, qualora ritenga che lo Stato membro non si sia conformato alla sentenza, può proporre un altro ricorso chiedendo sanzioni pecuniarie.
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However, if measures transposing a directive have not been notified to the Commission, the Court of Justice can, on a proposal from the Commission, impose penalties at the stage of the initial judgment. |
Tuttavia, in caso di mancata comunicazione delle misure di attuazione di una direttiva alla Commissione, su domanda di quest’ultima, la Corte di giustizia può infliggere sanzioni pecuniarie, al momento della prima sentenza. |
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LISTEN WITH READSPEAKER
Slovakia did not breach EU law by refusing entry into its territory to the
President of Hungary
The fact that an EU citizen performs the duties of Head of State is
such as to justify a limitation, based on international law, on the exercise of
the right of free movement
At the invitation of an association based in Slovakia, the President of
Hungary, Mr László Sólyom, had planned to go to the Slovak town of Komárno on 21
August 2009 to take part in a ceremony inaugurating a statue of Saint Stephen.
20 August is a national holiday in Hungary, in commemoration of Saint
Stephen, the founder and first king of the Hungarian State.
Furthermore, 21 August is considered to be a sensitive date in
Slovakia, as it was on 21 August 1968 that the armed forces of five Warsaw Pact
countries, which included Hungarian troops, invaded the Czechoslovak Socialist
Republic.
Following several diplomatic exchanges between the embassies of those
two Member States concerning the President of Hungary’s planned visit, the
Slovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs finally sent, on 21 August 2009, a note
verbale to the Ambassador of Hungary in the Slovak Republic in which it
prohibited the President of Hungary from entering Slovak territory.
As justification for that prohibition, that note relied on, inter alia,
Directive 2004/38 on freedom of movement within the EU.
President Sólyom, having been informed of the terms of that note while
on his way to Slovakia, acknowledged receipt of that note at the border and
refrained from entering the territory of that Member State.
Taking the view that the entry of its President into Slovak territory
could not be refused on the basis of that directive, Hungary asked the
Commission to bring infringement proceedings before the Court of Justice against
Slovakia.
The Commission, however, expressed the view that EU law did not apply
to visits made by the head of one Member State to the territory of another
Member State and that, in those circumstances, the alleged infringement was
unfounded.
Hungary subsequently decided to introduce, of its own motion,
infringement proceedings before the Court against Slovakia, as it is authorised
to do under the Treaty.
The Commission decided to intervene in the proceedings in support of
Slovakia.
In its judgment delivered today, the Court finds that, as Mr Sólyom is
of Hungarian nationality, he enjoys the status of EU citizen, which confers on
him the right to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member
States.
However, the Court observes that EU law must be interpreted in the
light of the relevant rules of international law, since international law is
part of the EU legal order and is thus binding on the European institutions.
In that respect, the Court states that, on the basis of the customary
rules of general international law and those of multilateral agreements, the
Head of State enjoys a particular status in international relations which
entails, inter alia, privileges and immunities.
Thus, the presence of a Head of State on the territory of another State
imposes on that latter State the obligation to guarantee the protection of the
person carrying out that duty, irrespective of the capacity in which his visit
takes place.
The status of Head of State thus has a specific character, resulting
from the fact that it is governed by international law, with the consequence
that the conduct of such a person internationally, such as that person’s
presence in another State, comes under that law, in particular the law governing
diplomatic relations.
Such a specific character is capable of distinguishing the person who
enjoys that status from all other EU citizens, with the result that that
person’s access to the territory of another Member State is not subject to the
same conditions as those applicable to other citizens.
Consequently, the fact that an EU citizen performs the duties of Head
of State is such as to justify a limitation, based on international law, on the
exercise of the right of movement conferred on that person by EU law.
The Court finds that EU law did not oblige Slovakia to guarantee access
to its territory to the President of Hungary.
Similarly, while Slovakia was wrong to rely on Directive 2004/38 as a legal
basis for refusing the President of Hungary access to its territory, the fact
that it did so does not constitute an abuse of rights within the meaning of the
Court’s case-law.
In those circumstances, the Court dismisses Hungary’s action in its
entirety.
NOTE:
An action for failure to fulfil obligations directed against a Member
State which has failed to comply with its obligations under European Union law
may be brought by the Commission or by another Member State.
If the Court of Justice finds that there has been a failure to fulfil
obligations, the Member State concerned must comply with the Court’s judgment
without delay.
Where the Commission takes the view that the Member State has not
complied with the judgment, it may bring a further action seeking financial
penalties.
However, if measures transposing a directive have not been notified to
the Commission, the Court of Justice can, on a proposal from the Commission,
impose penalties at the stage of the initial judgment. |