CEDH · PRESS;GENERAL;ENG — 24 janvier 2000

.s3ABFC313 { font-size:10pt } .s7772F3AF { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:14pt; font-size:12pt } .sC36A6361 { font-family:Arial; color:#000000 } .s8A840F4B { margin-top:14pt; margin-bottom:14pt; text-align:center; font-size:12pt } .s3559931A { margin-top:14pt; margin-bottom:14pt; text-align:center; font-size:13.5pt } .s681AFBD8 { margin-top:14pt; margin-bottom:14pt; font-size:12pt } .s9567D48D { font-family:Arial; font-weight:normal; color:#000000 } .s7ED160F0 { text-decoration:none } .s7EC75805 { font-family:Arial; font-size:8pt; font-weight:normal; vertical-align:super; color:#0069d6 } .s32563E28 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt } .sBB9EE52A { font-family:Arial } .sF6A12959 { width:33%; height:1px; text-align:left } .s5FFF0A7E { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:8pt } .s9B010345 { font-family:Arial; font-size:5.33pt; font-weight:normal; vertical-align:super; color:#0069d6 } .s6A184BC2 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:normal } .sCC018295 { font-family:Arial; font-size:5.33pt; vertical-align:super; color:#0069d6 } .s653E6C45 { font-family:Arial; font-size:6.67pt; vertical-align:super; color:#0069d6 } .s14E4B2BF { font-family:Arial; font-size:8pt; font-weight:normal } 50 24.1.2000 Press release issued by the Registrar Court making steady progress in the face of continuing rise in case-load The European Court of Human Rights is making steady progress, the Court’s President, Luzius Wildhaber, said today at a press conference in Strasbourg. Measures had been taken to streamline procedures and the main organisational obstacles encountered by the Court in its first year had been surmounted. However, further reform could prove necessary if the case-load continued to rise in the long-term. Last year, the number of new applications before the Court continued to rise. In 1999 8,396 applications were registered, compared to 5,981 in 1998. On December 31 1999, at the end of its first complete year functioning as a full-time judicial body[fn1 [1] ], the Court had before it a total of nearly 12,635 registered applications. The countries in respect of which the largest number of applications were registered[fn2 [2] ] in 1999 were: Russia (972), followed by Italy (881), France (868), Poland (691) and Turkey (655). In 1999, the Court delivered 177 judgments, declared inadmissible or struck off 3,519 applications and declared admissible 731 applications. It held 84 hearings. Of the judgments, 120 found at least one violation [fn3 [3] ], including 44 against Italy, 18 against Turkey, 16 against France, 12 against the United Kingdom and 8 against Portugal. Launching the Court’s 1999 statistics today, President of the Court Luzius Wildhaber said: "The Court has had a difficult year, but we finished on an optimistic note. Firstly, the judgments delivered last year speak for themselves and indicate not only that there has been no lowering of standards, but indeed that the Court intends to apply the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights with greater firmness. The working atmosphere among the Judges is excellent. Important measures have been taken to streamline procedures. Since November[fn4 [4] ] we have had all our staff and Judges working full-time for the Court, which meant that we ended the year working to capacity." "In the long-term, however, if the volume of cases continues to increase, it may well be necessary to consider additional reforms and even a new protocol to the Convention. Whatever the nature of these reforms, effective protection at national level will remain crucial to the success of the Convention system." *** Further information on the Court can be found on its Internet site, the address of which has changed to: http://www.echr.coe.int Registry of the European Court of Human Rights F – 67075 Strasbourg Cedex Contacts: Roderick Liddell (telephone: (0)3 88 41 24 92) Or: Emma Hellyer (telephone: (0)3 90 21 42 15) Fax: (0)3 88 41 27 91     [1] On November 1 1998 Protocol No.11 to the European Convention on Human Rights entered into force, replacing the two-tier system of a part-time Court and Commission of Human Rights with a single, full-time Court. However, under transitional arrangements, the Commission continued to function until 31 October 1999.   [2] New registered applications in 1999: Albania (1), Andorra (1), Austria (229), Belgium (137), Bulgaria (197), Croatia (103), Cyprus (17), Czech Republic (150), Denmark (56), Estonia (29), Finland (144), France (868), Georgia (0), Germany (534), Greece (143), Hungary (94) Iceland (1), Ireland (20), Italy (881), Latvia (29), Liechtenstein (1), Lithuania (76), Luxembourg (12), Malta (6), Moldova (32), Netherlands (206), Norway (20), Poland (691), Portugal (112), Romania (294), Russia (972), San Marino (0) Slovakia (163), Slovenia (86), Spain (228), Sweden (175), Switzerland (156), TFYROMacedonia (15), Turkey (655), Ukraine (433), United Kingdom (429).     [3] Judgments where the Court found at least one violation in 1999: Albania (0), Andorra (0), Austria (3), Belgium (1), Bulgaria (1), Croatia (0), Cyprus (1), Czech Republic (0), Denmark (0), Estonia (0), Finland (0), France (16), Georgia (0), Germany (0), Greece (5), Hungary (0) Iceland (0), Ireland (0), Italy (44), Latvia (0), Liechtenstein (1), Lithuania (0), Luxembourg (0), Malta (2), Moldova (0), Netherlands (0), Norway (2), Poland (1), Portugal (8), Romania (2), Russia (0), San Marino (1) Slovakia (1), Slovenia (0), Spain (1), Sweden (0), Switzerland (0), TFYROMacedonia (0), Turkey (18), Ukraine (0), United Kingdom (12). [4] Former staff members and members of the European Commission of Human Rights continued to work both for the Commission and Court until the Commission ceased functioning on October 31 1999.