Antonio Mario La Pergola
Encyclopedia
Antonio Mario La Pergola (13 November 1931, Catania
- 19 July 2007, Rome
), Italian jurist, Advocate General
and later Judge of the European Court of Justice
of the European Union
in Luxembourg, President of the Venice Commission
of the Council of Europe
in Strasbourg.
Antonio La Pergola always used his legal expertise, and the experience he has acquired in various public service posts, in the cause of European integration. He wrote extensively on issues in this field, and was professor of constitutional and public law at Padua University, and subsequently at the University of Bologna and Rome ("La Sapienza"). He was also visiting professor at foreign Universities, [including University College (Dublin), Johns Hopkins, University of Texas (Austin), University of California (Los Angeles), Harvard University (Boston), Externado de Colombia (Bogotà)], had honorary degrees conferred on him (Universidad Complutense and Universidad Carlos Tercero in Madrid, Lisbon and Bucharest), was made honorary professor (Johns Hopkins, Salamanca, Externado de Colombia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico, the Universidad Nacional de La Plata and the Universidad del Litoral de Belgrano in Argentina), and received other forms of international recognition (International Rome-Brasilia prize) for his contribution in respect of, among other things, the legal problems of supra-national integration.
La Pergola was director of the Institute of regional studies at the National Research Centre; member of the Supreme Council of the Judiciary (1976-1978); a judge at the Constitutional Court, acting as rapporteur for significant judgments in the field of relations between Community law and domestic law (1978-1986), then President of that Court (1986-1987); Minister for coordinating Community policies (1987-1989), and sponsor of the law on fulfilment of the obligations resulting from Italy’s membership of the European Communities (1986-1989); Member of the European Parliament and Chairman of the Committees on scientific research and culture (1989-1994). As Advocate-General and judge of the Court of Justice of the European Communities (1994-2006), he has been able to deal with a very broad range of issues concerning compliance with and interpretation of the Treaties establishing the Communities and the Union, and the relevant secondary legislation.
In the Council of Europe and other international fora, he was a member of a number of expert bodies looking into studying legal matters (Badinter Commission for the establishment of the Court of Arbitration and Conciliation; the Kissinger and Carrington Commission of constitutional mediators dealing with the end of apartheid in South Africa; the Committee of Wise Persons on the restructuring of the Council of Europe
).
From 1990 he chaired the Council of Europe
Commission on Democracy through Law, known as the Venice Commission
, which has assisted all countries in central and eastern Europe on their path to democratic transition and today comprises all European states and many non-European states.
La Pergola was president of the Italian Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato.
Catania
Catania is an Italian city on the east coast of Sicily facing the Ionian Sea, between Messina and Syracuse. It is the capital of the homonymous province, and with 298,957 inhabitants it is the second-largest city in Sicily and the tenth in Italy.Catania is known to have a seismic history and...
- 19 July 2007, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
), Italian jurist, Advocate General
Advocate General
An Advocate General is a senior law officer of a country or other jurisdiction, usually charged with advising the courts or Government on legal matters.-India:In India, an Advocate General is a legal adviser to a state government...
and later Judge of the European Court of Justice
European Court of Justice
The Court can sit in plenary session, as a Grand Chamber of 13 judges, or in chambers of three or five judges. Plenary sitting are now very rare, and the court mostly sits in chambers of three or five judges...
of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
in Luxembourg, President of the Venice Commission
Venice Commission
The Venice Commission is an advisory body of the Council of Europe, composed of independent experts in the field of constitutional law. It was created in 1990 after the fall of the Berlin wall, at a time of urgent need for constitutional assistance in Central and Eastern Europe...
of the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
in Strasbourg.
Antonio La Pergola always used his legal expertise, and the experience he has acquired in various public service posts, in the cause of European integration. He wrote extensively on issues in this field, and was professor of constitutional and public law at Padua University, and subsequently at the University of Bologna and Rome ("La Sapienza"). He was also visiting professor at foreign Universities, [including University College (Dublin), Johns Hopkins, University of Texas (Austin), University of California (Los Angeles), Harvard University (Boston), Externado de Colombia (Bogotà)], had honorary degrees conferred on him (Universidad Complutense and Universidad Carlos Tercero in Madrid, Lisbon and Bucharest), was made honorary professor (Johns Hopkins, Salamanca, Externado de Colombia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico, the Universidad Nacional de La Plata and the Universidad del Litoral de Belgrano in Argentina), and received other forms of international recognition (International Rome-Brasilia prize) for his contribution in respect of, among other things, the legal problems of supra-national integration.
La Pergola was director of the Institute of regional studies at the National Research Centre; member of the Supreme Council of the Judiciary (1976-1978); a judge at the Constitutional Court, acting as rapporteur for significant judgments in the field of relations between Community law and domestic law (1978-1986), then President of that Court (1986-1987); Minister for coordinating Community policies (1987-1989), and sponsor of the law on fulfilment of the obligations resulting from Italy’s membership of the European Communities (1986-1989); Member of the European Parliament and Chairman of the Committees on scientific research and culture (1989-1994). As Advocate-General and judge of the Court of Justice of the European Communities (1994-2006), he has been able to deal with a very broad range of issues concerning compliance with and interpretation of the Treaties establishing the Communities and the Union, and the relevant secondary legislation.
In the Council of Europe and other international fora, he was a member of a number of expert bodies looking into studying legal matters (Badinter Commission for the establishment of the Court of Arbitration and Conciliation; the Kissinger and Carrington Commission of constitutional mediators dealing with the end of apartheid in South Africa; the Committee of Wise Persons on the restructuring of the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
).
From 1990 he chaired the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
Commission on Democracy through Law, known as the Venice Commission
Venice Commission
The Venice Commission is an advisory body of the Council of Europe, composed of independent experts in the field of constitutional law. It was created in 1990 after the fall of the Berlin wall, at a time of urgent need for constitutional assistance in Central and Eastern Europe...
, which has assisted all countries in central and eastern Europe on their path to democratic transition and today comprises all European states and many non-European states.
La Pergola was president of the Italian Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato.