THIRD SECTION

DECISION

Application no. 37273/20 Tatyana Kostadinova GEORGIEVA and Stoyan Nikolaev GEORGIEV against Bulgaria

The European Court of Human Rights (Third Section), sitting on 6 April 2023 as a Committee composed of:

Darian Pavli, President , Ioannis Ktistakis, Oddný Mjöll Arnardóttir, judges ,

and Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,

Having regard to the above application lodged on 18 August 2020,

Having deliberated, decides as follows:

FACTS AND PROCEDURE

The applicants, Ms Tatyana Kostadinova Georgieva and Mr Stoyan Nikolaev Georgiev, two Bulgarian nationals born in 1953 and 1952, respectively, and living in Sofia, were represented by Mr T. Stoev, a lawyer practising in Varna.

The applicants’ complaint under Article 1 of Protocol No. 1, concerning the adequacy of the compensation paid to the applicants for property expropriated from them, was communicated to the Bulgarian Government (“the Government”). The Government submitted observations, which were forwarded to the applicants on 21 July 2022. The applicants were invited to submit their own observations in reply until 1 September 2022. No reply was however received to that letter, which was apparently not even viewed by the applicants’ representative, since he had accessed the Court’s electronic communication system (eComms) for the last time on 31 January 2022.

By letter dated 7 September 2022, sent by registered post, the applicants were notified that the period allowed for submission of their observations had expired and that no extension of time had been requested. They were invited to inform the Court, not later than 18 October 2022, whether they wished to maintain the application. The applicants’ attention was drawn to Article 37 § 1 (a) of the Convention, which provides that the Court may strike an application out of its list of cases where the circumstances lead to the conclusion that the applicant does not intend to pursue the application. The letter was returned as undelivered on 12 December 2022, as the representative could not be reached on the address provided. Neither the applicants, nor their representative have informed the Court of any changes thereof.

THE LAW

In the light of the foregoing, and in the absence of any special circumstances regarding respect for the rights guaranteed by the Convention and the Protocols thereto, the Court, in accordance with Article 37 § 1 (a) of the Convention, considers that it is no longer justified to continue the examination of the application.

Accordingly, the case should be struck out of the list.

For these reasons, the Court, unanimously,

Decides to strike the application out of its list of cases.

Done in English and notified in writing on 11 May 2023.

Viktoriya Maradudina Darian Pavli Acting Deputy Registrar President