CEDH · PRESS;HEARINGS;ENG — 4 mai 2000

.s800EAC49 { font-size:12pt } .sFE10DC93 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center } .s29100277 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold } .sA1D3DA2E { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify } .s94935B0F { width:389.85pt; display:inline-block } .sBB9EE52A { font-family:Arial } .sA36B60A1 { font-family:Arial; font-style:italic } .s85016119 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; font-size:11pt } .s32563E28 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt } .s4DDA3AA3 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold; font-style:italic } .sD35C6159 { width:1.54pt; display:inline-block } .s38DD6A04 { width:18.2pt; display:inline-block } .s4598CDF { width:70.9pt; display:inline-block } .sCB27B9E { width:16.66pt; display:inline-block } .sC5412BEF { width:51.05pt; display:inline-block }     EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS     310   4.5.2000   Press release issued by the Registrar   HEARING IN THE CASE OF BIELECTRIC Srl v. ITALY   Thursday, 4 May 2000, at 9 a.m.   The applicant company   The case concerns an application brought by Bielectric srl, an Italian company with its registered office in Ospedaletto (province of Pisa).   Summary of the facts   In 1983 Bielectric srl commissioned Company X to build a 1400m² factory building in Ospedaletto. Structural defects were found by the Pisa Fire Brigade on 23 December 1986 and the Pisa Construction Office on 24 January 1987. On 27 January 1987 Pisa Town Council declared the building dangerous and unfit for use ( inagibile ) and warned the company to discontinue building work until the errors had been rectified. However, the President of the Tuscany Region maintained that the defects were merely aesthetic. The civil courts also found that the defects were not structural.   The applicant company complains that it was unable to obtain instructions from the judicial and administrative authorities on how to bring the building into compliance with anti-seismic regulations and, therefore, to start its manufacturing activity. It claims that the factory was never opened owing to the authorities’ inertia and conflicting views as to whether the factory was fit for use. The Government claims the factory was never opened because the applicant company and Company X failed to correct the defects found by the fire brigade.   Complaints   Bielectric srl complains under Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 (protection of property) of the European Convention on Human Rights about the impossibility for it to bring its factory building into compliance with the anti-seismic regulations and therefore to start its manufacturing activity.   It further complains of the excessive length of the civil proceedings it brought against Company X, which have lasted 13 years and are still pending, in violation of Article 6 § 1 (right to a fair trial within a reasonable time), and that the proceedings were unfair because it was not informed of the date of the Court of Cassation hearing.   Procedure   The application was lodged on 19 June 1997 and communicated to the respondent Government on 22 October 1998. The hearing concerns the admissibility and merits of the application.   Composition of the Court   The case will be heard by a Chamber composed as follows:   Christos Rozakis (Greek), President András Baka (Hungarian), Benedetto Conforti ( Italian), Giovanni Bonello (Maltese), Viera Strážnická (Slovakian), Margarita Tsatsa-Nikolovska (FYROMacedonia), Peer Lorenzen (Danish), Judges , Anatoly Kovler (Russian), Substitute Judge ,   and also Erik Fribergh, Section Registrar   Representatives of the parties   Government:   Vitaliano Esposito , Agent ,   Applicant:   Mario Tuccillo , Counsel ,   Antonio Biondi , Legal Representative of the applicant company   After the hearing the Court will begin its deliberations, which are held in private. The decision on admissibility will be delivered thereafter.   Registry of the European Court of Human Rights F – 67075 Strasbourg Cedex Contacts:   Roderick Liddell (telephone: (0)3 88 41 24 92)   Emma Hellyer (telephone: (0)3 90 21 42 15) Fax: (0)3 88 41 27 91   The European Court of Human Rights was set up in Strasbourg in 1959 to deal with alleged violations of the 1950 European Convention on Human Rights. On 1 November 1998 a full-time Court was established, replacing the original two-tier system of a part-time Commission and Court.