Key facts of the case - The case concerned Jehovah’s Witnesses. The regional law of Lombardy provides that in order to obtain funding for places of worship, a religious denomination must have signed an agreement with the State (intesa) and as a consequence, Jehovah’s Witnesses cannot enjoy public regional funding for the building of a place of worship.

Main reasoning of the court - The Constitutional Court recognised that all denominations, with or without an agreement with the state, can enjoy public regional funding for places of worship and so the regional law of Lombardy is not constitutionally legitimate.

See the decision (in Italian): 2002-07-16 - Constitutional Court, n. 346.