Search
document

Document text Analytics

CASE OF RONTÓNÉ SZÉP AND OTHERS v. HUNGARY

Doc ref: 390/21 • ECHR ID: 001-214787

Document date: January 13, 2022

Inbound citations: 4
•
Cited paragraphs: 0
•
Outbound citations: 1

CASE OF RONTÓNÉ SZÉP AND OTHERS v. HUNGARY

Doc ref: 390/21 • ECHR ID: 001-214787

Document date: January 13, 2022

Cited paragraphs only

FIRST SECTION

CASE OF RONTÓNÉ SZÉP AND OTHERS v. HUNGARY

(Application no. 390/21)

JUDGMENT

STRASBOURG

13 January 2022

This judgment is final but it may be subject to editorial revision.

In the case of Rontóné Szép and Others v. Hungary,

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

Erik Wennerström, President, Lorraine Schembri Orland, Ioannis Ktistakis, judges, and Attila Teplán, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,

Having deliberated in private on 9 December 2021,

Delivers the following judgment, which was adopted on that date:

PROCEDURE

1. The case originated in an application against Hungary lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the Convention”) on 5 December 2020.

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

3. The Hungarian Government (“the Government”) were given notice of the application.

THE FACTS

4. The list of applicants and the relevant details of the application are set out in the appended table.

5. The applicants complained of the excessive length of civil proceedings.

THE LAW

6. The applicants complained that the length of the civil proceedings in question had been incompatible with the “reasonable time” requirement. They relied on Article 6 § 1 of the Convention, which reads as follows:

Article 6 § 1

“In the determination of his civil rights and obligations ... everyone is entitled to a ... hearing within a reasonable time by [a] ... tribunal ...”

7. The Court reiterates that the reasonableness of the length of proceedings must be assessed in the light of the circumstances of the case and with reference to the following criteria: the complexity of the case, the conduct of the applicants and the relevant authorities and what was at stake for the applicants in the dispute (see Frydlender v. France [GC], no. 30979/96, § 43, ECHR 2000-VII).

8. In the leading case of Gazsó v. Hungary, no. 48322/12, 16 July 2015, the Court already found a violation in respect of issues similar to those in the present case.

9. Having examined all the material submitted to it, the Court has not found any fact or argument capable of justifying the overall length of the proceedings at the national level. Having regard to its case-law on the subject, the Court considers that in the instant case the length of the proceedings was excessive and failed to meet the “reasonable time” requirement.

10. These complaints are therefore admissible and disclose a breach of Article 6 § 1 of the Convention.

11. Article 41 of the Convention provides:

“If the Court finds that there has been a violation of the Convention or the Protocols thereto, and if the internal law of the High Contracting Party concerned allows only partial reparation to be made, the Court shall, if necessary, afford just satisfaction to the injured party.”

12. Regard being had to the documents in its possession and to its case ‑ law, the Court considers it reasonable to award the sums indicated in the appended table.

13. The Court considers it appropriate that the default interest rate should be based on the marginal lending rate of the European Central Bank, to which should be added three percentage points.

FOR THESE REASONS, THE COURT, UNANIMOUSLY,

(a) that the respondent State is to pay the applicants, within three months, the amount indicated in the appended table, to be converted into the currency of the respondent State at the rate applicable at the date of settlement;

(b) that from the expiry of the above-mentioned three months until settlement simple interest shall be payable on the above amount at a rate equal to the marginal lending rate of the European Central Bank during the default period plus three percentage points.

Done in English, and notified in writing on 13 January 2022, pursuant to Rule 77 §§ 2 and 3 of the Rules of Court.

Attila Teplán Erik Wennerström 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

Start of proceedings

End of proceedings

Total length

Levels of jurisdiction

Amount awarded for pecuniary and non ‑ pecuniary damage and costs and expenses per

applicant /household

(in euros) [1]

390/21

05/12/2020

(75 applicants)

Ágnes RONTÓNÉ SZÉP

1952Lászlóné BAJI

1940Ilona BALÁZSNÉ PAGÁCS

1949Géza Károly BIEDER

1950Lajosné BOROS

1959József BRETUS

1944József BUKTA

1942Magdolna CSAPLÁR

1944István CSŐVÁRI

1954Pálné CZICZKA

1954Katalin DANKÁNÉ LENTE

1955Gézáné DÉNES

1948Rezső DÉNES

1954Vince DÉNES

1962András DURST

1958Józsefné EGRI

1952Gergely FAHIDI

1962Vilmos FARKAS

1934Péter GESZTESI-GROSS

1960László GÖNDÖR

1941Jenő GYŐRFI

1946András HÓDOS

1951Ferenc HUSZÁR

1941László IVÁNYI

1945Ágnes KÁLDY-NAGY

1956János KALUHA

1950Jánosné KASTÉLY

1926Ramóna KAZINCZKI

1976József KENESEI

1964Antal KEREKES

1939János KIS

1951Lajosné KISS

1935József KOMPANIK

1945István József KOPIK

1944Géza KORMOS

1959Józsefné KOVÁCS

1931Ottóné KOVÁCS

1933Marianna Ilona KUNYIKNÉ JÁRÓ

1955József KURUSA

1939József LAJKÓ

1950Ádám LÁNG

1954Albert LOVAS

1949Miklós LUKÁCS

1949Tiborné MARKOS

1949Klára MÁTÉ

1968Sándor MIHICS

1956István MIKÓ

1968Ferenc MÓZER

1942Ferenc NAGY

1949Sándor NEMES

1962Károlyné NÉMETH

1953István PALKOVICS

1956Jánosné PÉK

1941Ferenc PÉLI

1959Ferencné PETHŐ

1956Ferenc PSZOTA

1955Imréné RÁBA

1938Sándorné ROHOSKA

1948Sándor István RUTTKAI

1947László STARK

1942Sándorné SZABÓ

1948József SZÉP

1953Julianna SZIRÁKINÉ SZÉP

1952Gizella SZŐKE

1957Lászlóné TIHANYI

1942László TÓTH

1946János UNYI

1951Household

Zoltán GÁL

1942Zoltánné GÁL

1949Household

Ferenc RÉVAI

1952Ferencné RÉVAI

1952Household

József LÖFFER

1933Veronika LÖFFER

1937Household

Erika NÉMETH

1961Piroska NÉMETH

1967Barbalics István

Budapest

05/11/1992

pending

More than 29 year(s) and 5 day(s)

2 level(s) of jurisdiction

9,100

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

LEXI

Lexploria AI Legal Assistant