THE NE BIS IN IDEM PRINCIPLE IN THE CASE-LAW OF THE EUROPEAN COURT OF JUSTICE (I). THE IDEM ISSUE

Two major events occurred in the recent years have triggered a series of cases in the field of criminal law, having transnational dimension and requiring an identical interpretation of the European law in the Member States. The first one is the communautarisation of the Schengen Aquis. The second one is the extension of the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice over the (former) third pillar (Police and Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters). As a result, several cases were referred to the European Court of Justice for the interpretation, inter alia, of the dispositions of the Schengen Convention dealing with criminal matters. This article gives a general overview of the case-law of the European Court of Justice in the field of ne bis in idem principle, shortly presenting the legal framework, the facts, the questions addressed to the Court by the national jurisdictions, the findings of the Court, as well as some conclusions on the interpretation of the principle. In the first study we will deal with the notion of idem.