Takács and Others v. Hungary

FIRST SECTION

Application no. 46256/22 Zsuzsanna TAKÁCS and Others

against Hungary

(see appended table)

The European Court of Human Rights (First Section), sitting on 4 May 2023 as a Committee composed of:

Alena Poláčková , President , Gilberto Felici, Raffaele Sabato , judges ,

and Attila Teplán, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,

Having regard to the above application lodged on 21 September 2022,

Having regard to the declaration submitted by the respondent Government requesting the Court to strike the application out of the list of cases,

Having deliberated, decides as follows:

FACTS AND PROCEDURE

The list of applicants is set out in the appended table.

The applicants were represented by Mr I. Barbalics, a lawyer practising in Budapest.

The applicants’ complaints under Article 6 § 1 of the Convention concerning the excessive length of civil proceedings were communicated to the Hungarian Government (“the Government”).

THE LAW

After unsuccessful friendly-settlement negotiations, the Government informed the Court that they proposed to make unilateral declaration with a view to resolving the issues raised by these complaints. They further requested the Court to strike out the application in accordance with Article 37 of the Convention.

The Government acknowledged the excessive length of civil proceedings. They offered to pay the applicants the amounts detailed in the appended table and invited the Court to strike the application out of the list of cases in accordance with Article 37 § 1 (c) of the Convention. The amounts would be converted into the currency of the respondent State at the rate applicable on the date of payment, and would be payable within three months from the date of notification of the Court’s decision. In the event of failure to pay this amount within the above-mentioned three-month period, the Government undertook to pay simple interest on it, from the expiry of that period until settlement, at a rate equal to the marginal lending rate of the European Central Bank during the default period plus three percentage points.

The payment will constitute the final resolution of the case.

The applicants were sent the terms of the Government’s unilateral declaration several weeks before the date of this decision. The Court has not received a response from the applicants accepting the terms of the declaration.

The Court observes that Article 37 § 1 (c) enables it to strike a case out of its list if:

“... for any other reason established by the Court, it is no longer justified to continue the examination of the application”.

Thus, it may strike out applications under Article 37 § 1 (c) on the basis of a unilateral declaration by a respondent Government even if the applicants wish the examination of the case to be continued (see, in particular, the Tahsin Acar v. Turkey judgment (preliminary objections) [GC], no. 26307/95, §§ 75 ‑ 77, ECHR 2003-VI).

The Court has established clear and extensive case-law concerning complaints relating to the excessive length of civil proceedings (see, for example, Gazsó v. Hungary, no. 48322/12, 16 July 2015).

Noting the admissions contained in the Government’s declaration as well as the amount of compensation proposed – which is consistent with the amounts awarded in similar cases – the Court considers that it is no longer justified to continue the examination of the application (Article 37 § 1 (c)).

In the light of the above considerations, the Court is satisfied that respect for human rights as defined in the Convention and the Protocols thereto does not require it to continue the examination of the application (Article 37 § 1 in fine ).

Finally, the Court emphasises that, should the Government fail to comply with the terms of their unilateral declaration, the application may be restored to the list in accordance with Article 37 § 2 of the Convention ( Josipović v. Serbia (dec.), no. 18369/07, 4 March 2008).

In view of the above, it is appropriate to strike the case out of the list.

For these reasons, the Court, unanimously,

Takes note of the terms of the respondent Government’s declaration and of the arrangements for ensuring compliance with the undertakings referred to therein;

Decides to strike the application out of its list of cases in accordance with Article 37 § 1 (c) of the Convention.

Done in English and notified in writing on 25 May 2023.

Attila Teplán Alena Poláčková Acting Deputy Registrar President

APPENDIX

Application raising complaints under Article 6 § 1 of the Convention

(excessive length of civil proceedings)

Application no. Date of introduction

Applicant’s name

Year of birth

Representative’s name and location

Date of receipt of Government’s declaration

Date of receipt of applicant’s comments, if any

Amount awarded for pecuniary and non-pecuniary damage and costs and expenses

per applicant/household

(in euros) [1]

46256/22

21/09/2022

(97 applicants)

Zsuzsanna TAKÁCS

1954

Jánosné ACÉL

1930

Istvánné AMBRUS

1952

Zoltán AMBRUS

1942

Mihály BAGI

1956

István BARBALICS

1955

Zsolt BEGALA

1960

József BELSŐ

1946

György BESENYEI

1944

Zsuzsanna BESSENYEI

1956

Tamás BIRÓ

1982

Istvánné BÍRÓ

1941

József BORKA

1970

Józsefné BUJDOSÓ

1945

Sarolta BUKOVSZKINÉ LENDÉR

1939

Jánosné CSABANKÓ

1936

Mártonné CSÁNYI

1935

Péter Sándor DARU

1947

Gábor DELI

1971

Borbála ECSEDYNÉ RÉVFALVI

1951

Zoltán ÉVINGER

1934

Ágnes Erzsébet FEKÉNÉ LÉVAI

1943

Zsolt Györgyné FEKETE

1957

Éva Anna FERENCZI

1951

Péter GÁSPÁR

1975

Péter GIDAI

1947

Istvánné GÖRÖG

1948

Béla GYÖRGY

1943

Imre GYURIK

1945

Elemérné GYURINDÁK

1926

Ilona Mária HOCKNÉ NAGY

1946

István HOLLER

1950

Pál HOLLÓ

1940

Erzsébet HOMOKINÉ BARACSKAI

1960

Istvánné HORVÁTH

1942

Mihály HORVÁTH

1957

Sándor JÁNOS

1952

Zoltán JANOVICS

1951

Albert JUHÁSZ

1942

Györgyné KAPOSVÁRI

1948

Zsuzsanna KARVALICSNÉ MOLNÁR

1952

Gábor KÉKESI

1957

Gyula KEMPF

1947

Zsuzsanna Paula KÉVAI

1949

Andrea KIRÁLYNÉ SÁNDOR

1978

Imréné KISS

1940

József KISS

1932

Lászlóné KŐRÖSI

1944

Lászlóné KÓSA

1943

Éva KRISTÓF

1939

Erzsébet LUGOSINÉ KOLESZÁR

1957

Béláné LUKÁCS

1946

Miklós Mihály MAKAI

1929

Julianna MAROSI

1940

Zoltánné MÁTYÁS

1950

Ferenc Józsefné MIHALIK

1944

Attiláné MOHÁCSI

1946

József NAGY

1937

Ágnes NÉMETH

1983

István Lászlóné NÉMETH

1946

Györgyné ORGOVÁNY

1940

Gyula Álmos OROSZ

1940

Gyula Tibor OROSZ

1964

Béla PAJOR

1937

Ilona PÁLFINÉ BARANKOVICS

1939

Ferencné PÁLINKÁS

1966

Ákos PILISSY

1958

Béla REHOROVSZKY

1947

Gabriella RÉVAY

1952

Zoltánné RÉVAY

1929

Judit RIBÁNÉ PINTÉR

1964

Lászlóné SÁNDOR

1953

Árpádné SÁRDI

1968

Rita SCHWARCZBAUER

1976

Éva Mária SUDÁR

1953

Istvánné SZABÓ

1946

Istvánné SZALONTAI

1953

Lászlóné SZEMLER

1938

Dóra TÁNCZOSNÉ SZATHMÁRY

1985

András TELCS

1956

Judit TENGERDINÉ BALOG

1947

Attila TERMES

1941

Pálné TÖRKÖLY

1938

Marianne Erzsébet TOPERCZER

1953

Vilmosné TÖRÖK

1946

Balázs TÓTH

1972

Imre TÓTH

1939

Józsefné TÓTH

1944

Sándor TÓTH

1936

Ágoston TRAPP

1934

Istvánné TURI

1940

József Ádám VARGA

1947

László VEBER

1934

Household

András BAKÓ

1977

Györgyné BAKÓ

1946

Household

Antal ZAKARIÁS

1931

Antalné ZAKARIÁS

1930

Barbalics István

Budapest

20/02/2023

12/03/2023

2,000

[1] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicant