FIRST SECTION
CASE OF BOLJEVIĆ AND OTHERS v. MONTENEGRO
(Application no. 21609/20)
JUDGMENT
STRASBOURG
25 April 2024
This judgment is final but it may be subject to editorial revision.
In the case of Boljević and Others v. Montenegro,
The European Court of Human Rights (First Section), sitting as a Committee composed of:
Péter Paczolay, President,
Gilberto Felici,
Raffaele Sabato, judges,
and Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,
Having deliberated in private on 4 April 2024,
Delivers the following judgment, which was adopted on that date:
PROCEDURE
1. The case originated in an application against Montenegro lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the Convention”) on 10 April 2020.
2. The applicants were represented by Mr B. Ćupić, a lawyer practising in Podgorica.
3. The Montenegrin Government (“the Government”) were given notice of the application.
THE FACTS
4. The applicants’ details and information relevant to the application are set out in the appended table.
5. The applicants complained of the non-enforcement of domestic decisions given against socially/State-owned companies.
6. On 18 July 2019 the Constitutional Court found a violation of the applicants’ rights under Article 6 § 1 of the Convention and Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 to the Convention on account of non-enforcement. The applicants were awarded 2,000 euros (EUR) each in non-pecuniary damage. However, the domestic decisions under consideration remain unenforced until the present day.
THE LAW
ALLEGED VIOLATION OF ARTICLE 6 § 1 OF THE CONVENTION AND OF ARTICLE 1 OF PROTOCOL No. 17. The applicants complained principally of the non-enforcement of domestic decisions given in their favour. They relied on Article 6 § 1 of the Convention and on Article 1 of Protocol No. 1.
8. The Court reiterates that the execution of a judgment given by any court must be regarded as an integral part of a “hearing” for the purposes of Article 6. It also refers to its case-law concerning the non-enforcement or delayed enforcement of final domestic judgments (see Hornsby v. Greece, no. 18357/91, § 40, Reports of Judgments and Decisions 1997‑II).
9. The Court further notes that the decisions in the present case ordered specific action to be taken. The Court therefore considers that the decisions in question constitute “possessions” within the meaning of Article 1 of Protocol No. 1.
10. In the leading cases of R. Kačapor and Others v. Serbia (nos. 2269/06 and 5 others, §§ 97-99, 106-16 and 119-20, 15 January 2008), and Mijanović v. Montenegro (no. 19580/06, §§ 81-91, 17 September 2013), the Court already found a violation in respect of issues similar to those in the present case.
11. Having examined all the material submitted to it, the Court has not found any fact or argument capable of persuading it to reach a different conclusion on the admissibility and merits of these complaints. Having regard to its case-law on the subject, the Court considers that in the instant case the authorities did not deploy all necessary efforts to enforce fully and in due time the decisions in the applicants’ favour.
12. These complaints are therefore admissible and disclose a breach of Article 6 § 1 of the Convention and Article 1 of Protocol No. 1.
APPLICATION OF ARTICLE 41 OF THE CONVENTION13. Regard being had to the documents in its possession and its own case‑law (see, in particular, R. Kačapor and Others, cited above, §§ 123-26; Stošić v. Serbia, no. 64931/10, §§ 66-68, 1 October 2013; and Mastilović and Others v. Montenegro, no. 28754/10, § 52, 24 February 2022) the Court considers it reasonable not to award the applicants compensation in respect of non-pecuniary damage because it has already been awarded domestically (see paragraph 6 above), but to award the sum for costs and expenses indicated in the appended table.
14. The Court further notes that the respondent State has an outstanding obligation to enforce the domestic decisions which remain enforceable.
FOR THESE REASONS, THE COURT, UNANIMOUSLY,
Declares the application admissible;Holds that this application discloses a breach of Article 6 § 1 of the Convention and Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 concerning the non‑enforcement of domestic decisions given against socially/State‑owned companies;Holds that the respondent State shall ensure, by appropriate means, within three months, the enforcement of the pending domestic decisions referred to in the appended table;Holds(a) that the respondent State is to pay the applicants, within three months, the amount indicated in the appended table 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 25 April 2024, pursuant to Rule 77 §§ 2 and 3 of the Rules of Court.
Viktoriya Maradudina Péter Paczolay
Acting Deputy Registrar President
APPENDIX
Application raising complaints under Article 6 § 1 of the Convention and Article 1 of Protocol No. 1
(non-enforcement or delayed enforcement of domestic decisions given against socially/State-owned companies)
Application no.
Date of introduction
Applicant’s name
Year of birth
Representative’s name and location
Relevant domestic decision
Start date of non-enforcement period
End date of non-enforcement period
Length of enforcement proceedings
Amount awarded for costs and expenses per application
(in euros)[1]
21609/20
10/04/2020
(66 applicants)
Goran BOLJEVIĆ
1961
Tatjana BOLJEVIĆ
1969
Slobodan ŠOĆ
1949
Veselin MARTINOVIĆ
1946
Slavica BULATOVIĆ
1955
Đina JANINOVIĆ
1963
Đon IVEZIĆ
1942
Dragoljub VUKČEVIĆ
1962
Ana IVANOVIĆ
1998
Bajram KOĆIĆ
1941
Rajko RADULOVIĆ
1953
Goran RADONJIĆ
1963
Žarko MADŽAROVIĆ
1949
Radmila LAKOVIĆ
1967
Zdravko ČAĐENOVIĆ
1957
Željko ĐUKANOVIĆ
1962
Nataša DRAGOJEVIĆ
1946
Simuna MATKOVIĆ
1946
Savo GLOBAREVIĆ
1941
Milenko JOVANOVIĆ
1949
Ibrahim TUZOVIĆ
1948
Slobodan SEKULOVIĆ
1949
Boško POPOVIĆ
1950
Miodrag PRELEVIĆ
1950
Biserka ZLATIČANIN
1949
Dragan STAMATOVIĆ
1957
Ilija PEŠIĆ
1952
Radovan MILAŠEVIĆ
1953
Goran PEJOVIĆ
1972
Radovan ŠĆEKIĆ
1950
Luka PEROVIĆ
1984
Danilo MILIĆ
1942
Zorka MARKOVIĆ
1982
Žikica GARČEVIĆ
1962
Duško BUŠKULIĆ
1958
Stanica STANIŠIĆ
1963
Veselinka BOJANIĆ
1954
Zorica RADOJEVIĆ
1964
Slavka PETROVIĆ
1958
Tomislav ŠIŠEVIĆ
1951
Milenka RADULOVIĆ
1952
Spasoje GRBA
1951
Tatjana RAČIĆ
1971
Milan MARKOVIĆ
1949
Radmila ĐURIŠIĆ
1953
Sanja LEKOVIĆ
1954
Goran KALEZIĆ
1961
Miodrag ŠĆEPANOVIĆ
1950
Veljko RADUNOVIĆ
1954
Ilinka MILIĆ
1952
Lazar LAZAREVIĆ
1970
Slavica ŠUNDIĆ
1949
Milan RADULOVIĆ
1981
Cvetko MARAŠ
1949
Miljan KLJALJIĆ
1940
Veselin ĐUROVIĆ
1964
Slavica VUČUROVIĆ
1955
Jagoš OBRADOVIĆ
1950
Sava MARJANOVIĆ
1958
Nika LJULJĐUROVIĆ
1970
Household
Nikola MIRKOVIĆ
1982
Danka POPOVIĆ
1979
Danilo MIRKOVIĆ
1977
Household
Nevenka MILIČKOVIĆ
1971
Nada POTPARA
1957
Željko DŽOGAZOVIĆ
1944
Ćupić Branislav
Podgorica
Court of First Instance Podgorica (applicants Pešić, Radulović Milenka, Matković, Milić I., Bulatović, Janinović, Leković, Dragojević, Džogazović, Potpara and Miličković, Zlatičanin, Kljajić, Madžarović, Šoć, Jovanović, Marjanović, Globarević, Lazarević, Bojanić, Garčević, Buškulić, Radojević, and Radulović Milan),
03/07/2009
Court of First Instance Podgorica (applicants Martinović, Čađenović, Vukčević, Maraš, Radunović, Marković M., Tuzović, Radonjić, Ivezić, Radulović R., Boljević T.),
10/09/2009
Court of First Instance Podgorica (applicants Sekulović, Šćekić, Popović, Grba, Đurišić, and Marković Z.),
15/07/2009
Court of First Instance Podgorica (applicant Djukanovic),
10/09/2009
Court of First Instance Podgorica (applicant Kalezić),
04/12/2009
Court of First Instance
(applicant Obradović),
27/01/2010
Court of First Instance
(applicants Petrović, Boljević G., and Laković),
27/01/2010
Court of First Instance
(applicant Šundić),
18/12/2009
Court of First Instance
(applicants Ivanović A., Šišević, and Đurović),
22/02/2010
Court of First Instance
(applicants Prelević, Vučurović, Pejović, Šćepanović, and Mirković N, Mirković N, and Popović D.),
16/11/2009
Court of First Instance Podgorica (applicant Obradović),
07/10/2010
Court of First Instance
(applicants Pešić, Radulović M., Matković, Milić I., Janinović, Leković, Dragojević, Džogazović, Potpara and Miličković, Kljajić, Madžarović, Šoć, Jovanović M., Marjanović, Globarević, Lazarević, Bojanić, Garčević, Buškulić, Radojević, Martinović, Čađenović, Vukčević, Maraš, Radunović, Marković M., Tuzović, Radonjić, Ivezić, Radulović R., Boljević T., Sekulović, Šćekić, Popović, Grba, Đurišić, Marković Z., Obradovic, Radulović M., Zlatičanin, Stanišić, Perović, Koćić, Račić, and Stamatović),
07/10/2010
Court of First Instance Podgorica (applicant Boljević G.),
06/12/2012
Court of First Instance Podgorica (applicants Pešić, Radulović M., Matković, Milić I., Janinović, Leković, Dragojević, Džogazović, Potpara and Miličković, Kljajić, Madžarević, Šoć, Jovanović M., Marjanović, Globarević, Lazarević, Bojanić, Garčević, Buškulić, Radojević, Martinović, Čađenović, Vukčević, Maraš, Radunović, Marković M., Tuzović, Radonjić, Ivezić, Radulović R., Boljević T., Sekulović, Šćekić, Grba, Đurišić, Marković Z., Obradović, Radulović M., Zlatičanin, Stanišić, Koćić, Račić, Stamatović, Milić D., Milašević, Prelević, Vučurović, Pejović, Šćepanović, Mirković N., Mirković N., and Popović D., Kalezić, Đukanović, Šundić, Petrović, Boljević G., and Laković), 11/07/2014
Court of First Instance Podgorica (applicant Laković),
06/12/2012
Court of First Instance Podgorica (applicants Pešić, Radulović Milenka, Matković, Milić I., Janinović, Leković, Madžarović, Šoć, Jovanović M., Marjanović, Globarević, Lazarević, Bojanić, Garčević, Buškulić, Radojević, Martinović, Čađenović, Vukčević, Maraš, Radunović, Marković M., Tuzović, Radonjić, Ivezić, Radulović R., Boljević T., Sekulović, Šćekić, Popović, Grba, Đurišić, Marković Z., Obradović, Radulović M., Zlatičanin, Stanišić, Perović, Račić, Stamatović, Radulović Milan, Koćić, Milić D., Prelević, Vučurović, Pejović, Mirković N., Mirković D, and Popović D., Kalezić, Đukanović, Šundić, and Petrović S.),
06/12/2012
Commercial Court of Montenegro
(all the applicants except Ljuljđurović N.), 16/10/2017
25/09/2009
22/12/2009
22/12/2009
10/03/2010
10/03/2010
31/03/2010
31/03/2010
20/05/2010
30/06/2010
17/09/2010
22/02/2011
24/01/2013
11/12/2013
11/07/2014
27/02/2015
31/07/2015
28/11/2017
pending
more than 14 years, 5 months and 20 days
pending
more than 14 years, 2 months and 23 days
pending
more than 14 years, 2 months and 23 days
pending
more than 14 years and 6 days
pending
more than 14 years and 6 days
pending
more than 13 years, 11 months and 16 days
pending
more than 13 years, 11 months and 16 days
pending
more than 13 years, 9 months and 25 days
pending
more than 13 years, 8 months and 16 days
pending
more than 13 years, 5 months and 28 days
pending
more than 13 years and 23 days
pending
more than 11 years, 1 month and 21 days
pending
more than 10 years, 3 months and 5 days
pending
more than 9 years, 8 months and 5 days
pending
more than 9 years and 18 days
pending
more than 8 years, 7 months and 16 days
pending
more than 6 years, 3 months and 17 days
250
[1] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants.