CEDH · CASELAW;CLIN;ENG — 19 mars 1997

.s3ABFC313 { font-size:10pt } .sD4B5322E { margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:12pt; text-align:justify } .sBB9EE52A { font-family:Arial } .sA241FE93 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:18pt; text-align:justify; page-break-after:avoid; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-bottom:1pt } .s2EF62ED2 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:12pt } .s4DDA3AA3 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold; font-style:italic } .s29100277 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold } .s32563E28 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt } .s8F2B0B1B { margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:12pt; page-break-after:avoid; font-size:12pt } .s97EB40D9 { margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:14pt; page-break-after:avoid } .s65B66A85 { margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:12pt } .sA36B60A1 { font-family:Arial; font-style:italic } .s5F48796F { margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify } .s85F2E5C5 { width:30.44pt; display:inline-block } .sBDAE81C4 { width:27.67pt; display:inline-block } .s6863D229 { width:26pt; display:inline-block } .sB8467130 { width:24.88pt; display:inline-block } .sC7C396CD { width:24.89pt; display:inline-block } .s49A78FE0 { width:26.55pt; display:inline-block } .s8B6C6D43 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; border-bottom:1pt solid #000000; padding-bottom:1pt } .sDF790F1E { margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center } .s7ED160F0 { text-decoration:none } .s3DC36BA9 { font-family:Arial; text-decoration:underline; color:#0069d6 } Information Note on the Court’s case-law March 1997 Paskhalidis and Others v. Greece - 20432/92, 20431/92, 20430/92 et al. Judgment 19.3.1997 Article 6 Administrative proceedings Article 6-1 Reasonable time Length of proceedings in the administrative courts: violation [This summary is extracted from the Court’s official reports (Series A or Reports of Judgments and Decisions). Its formatting and structure may therefore differ from the Case-Law Information Note summaries.] I.   SITUATION OF TWO OF THE APPLICANTS Two of the applicants had died while the proceedings concerning them in the Greek courts were still pending - lawyer not authorised by heirs of one deceased applicant to refer case to Commission. Conclusion : case of one applicant struck out of list (unanimously). II.   ARTICLE 6 OF THE CONVENTION A.   Applicability Legislative decrees in issue gave applicants opportunity to secure recognition of their reckonable years of employment in Turkey or Egypt and to receive, after buying back employee's and employer's contributions, a pension paid by the Greek social-security bodies - some public-law aspects, but existence of an individual, economic right derived from specific rules laid down in domestic legislation - outcome of proceedings directly "decisive for civil rights and obligations". Conclusion : Article 6 applicable (unanimously). B.   Compliance 1.   Periods to be taken into consideration Starting-point: date when Greek declaration recognising right of individual petition took effect. End: Supreme Administrative Court's judgments dismissing applicants' applications for judicial review. Total: six years, two months and thirteen days at shortest and seven years, seven months and nine days at longest. 2.   Applicable criteria Reasonableness of length of proceedings - to be determined in light of criteria laid down in Court's case-law and by reference to circumstances of case, which in instant case called for overall assessment. Cases not at all complex. Application by applicants' lawyer to Special Supreme Court - stay, pursuant to statute, of all proceedings pending in Supreme Administrative Court with same object: should have lasted only for time Special Supreme Court needed to give judgment. Impossible to join all cases in order to submit just one application for judicial review to Supreme Administrative Court. Number of adjournments of applicants' cases exceeded maximum permitted under Article 575 of Code of Civil Procedure. Applicants' conduct not above reproach - but length of time that had elapsed in case could not be regarded as "reasonable". Conclusion : violation (unanimously). III.   ARTICLE 50 OF THE CONVENTION A.   Non-pecuniary damage: compensation awarded. B.   Costs and expenses: reimbursed on equitable basis. Conclusion : respondent State to pay applicants a specified sum (unanimously).   © Council of Europe/European Court of Human Rights This summary by the Registry does not bind the Court. Click here for the Case-Law Information Notes