THIRD SECTION
CASE OF GOLIĆ AND OTHERS v. SERBIA
(Application no. 60162/16 and 27 others -
see appended list)
JUDGMENT
STRASBOURG
3 October 2019
This judgment is final but it may be subject to editorial revision.
In the case of Golić and Others v. Serbia,
The European Court of Human Rights (Third Section), sitting as a Committee composed of:
Dmitry Dedov, President,
Alena Poláčková,
Gilberto Felici, judges,
and Liv Tigerstedt, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,
Having deliberated in private on 12 September 2019,
Delivers the following judgment, which was adopted on that date:
PROCEDURE
1. The case originated in applications against Serbia lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the Convention”) on the various dates indicated in the appended table.
2. The Serbian Government (“the Government”) were given notice of the applications.
THE FACTS
3. The list of applicants and the relevant details of the applications are set out in the appended table.
4. The applicants complained of the non-enforcement or delayed enforcement of domestic decisions given against socially/State-owned companies.
THE LAWJOINDER OF THE APPLICATIONS
5. Having regard to the similar subject matter of the applications, the Court finds it appropriate to examine them jointly in a single judgment.ALLEGED VIOLATION OF ARTICLE 6 § 1 OF THE CONVENTION
6. The applicants complained of the non-enforcement or delayed enforcement of domestic decisions given in their favour. They relied, expressly or in substance, on Article 6 § 1 of the Convention, which, in the relevant part, reads as follows:
Article 6 § 1
“In the determination of his civil rights and obligations ... everyone is entitled to a fair ... hearing ... by [a] ... tribunal ...”
7. 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).
8. 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, Crnišanin and Others v. Serbia, nos. 35835/05 and 3 others, § 124, 13 January 2009, and Stevanović and Others v. Serbia [Committee], nos. 43815/17 and 15 others, 27 August 2019, 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 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 in due time the decisions in the applicants’ favour.
10. These complaints are therefore admissible and disclose a breach of Article 6 § 1 of the Convention.APPLICATION OF ARTICLE 41 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 (see, in particular, Stošić v. Serbia, no. 64931/10, §§ 66-68, 1 October 2013), the Court considers it reasonable to award the sums indicated in the appended table and it dismisses the remainder of the applicants’ claims for just satisfaction.
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,Decides to join the applications;Declares the applications admissible;Holds that these applications disclose a breach of Article 6 § 1 of the Convention concerning the delayed enforcement of domestic decisions given against socially/State-owned companies;Holds
(a) that the respondent State is to pay the applicants, within three months, the amounts 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 amounts at a rate equal to the marginal lending rate of the European Central Bank during the default period plus three percentage points;Dismisses the remainder of the applicants’ claims for just satisfaction.
Done in English, and notified in writing on 3 October 2019, pursuant to Rule 77 §§ 2 and 3 of the Rules of Court.
Liv TigerstedtDmitry Dedov
Acting Deputy RegistrarPresident
APPENDIX
List of applications raising complaints under Article 6 § 1 of the Convention
(non-enforcement or delayed enforcement of domestic decisions given against socially/State-owned companies)
No.
Application no.
Date of introduction
Applicant’s name
Date of birth
Representative’s name and location
Relevant domestic decision
Start date of non-enforcement period or date of entry into force the Convention in respect of Serbia
(3 March 2004)
End date of non-enforcement period Length of enforcement proceedings
Domestic award
(in euros)
Amount awarded for non-pecuniary damage and costs and expenses per applicant
(in euros)[1] [2]
60162/16
07/10/2016
Ranko Golić
18/03/1956
Janković Dragana
Čačak
Municipal Court in Čačak,
25/02/2009
14/09/2009
01/08/2016
6 year(s) and 10 month(s) and 19 day(s)
100
2,000
3842/17
22/12/2016
Dragi Đinković
29/01/1960
Stojiljković Tamara
Leskovac
Municipal Court in Leskovac, 29/03/2004
03/12/2007
26/12/2016
9 year(s) and 24 day(s)
100
2,000
4294/17
29/12/2016
Žika Kostić
15/10/1949
Stojiljković Tamara
Leskovac
Municipal Court in Leskovac, 04/06/2003
Municipal Court in Leskovac, 31/12/2007
19/11/2007
09/12/2008
17/01/2017
9 year(s) and 1 month(s) and 30 day(s)
17/01/2017
8 year(s) and 1 month(s) and 9 day(s)
255
2,000
4576/17
19/12/2016
Nenad Milenković
01/06/1981
Stojiljković Tamara
Leskovac
Municipal Court in Leskovac, 15/12/2003
22/11/2004
26/12/2016
12 year(s) and 1 month(s) and 5 day(s)
255
2,000
9573/17
23/01/2017
Goran Mihajlović
23/11/1966
Stojiljković Tamara
Leskovac
Municipal Court in Leskovac, 30/03/2007
23/10/2007
02/03/2017
9 year(s) and 4 month(s) and 8 day(s)
85
2,000
9586/17
23/01/2017
Granica Jančić
11/10/1952
Stojiljković Tamara
Leskovac
Municipal Court in Leskovac, 26/11/2003
Municipal Court in Leskovac, 15/01/2007
03/03/2004
15/06/2007
02/03/2017
13 year(s)
02/03/2017
9 year(s) and 8 month(s) and 16 day(s)
85
2,000
9620/17
23/01/2017
Biljana Stanković
07/01/1967
Stojiljković Tamara
Leskovac
Municipal Court in Leskovac, 01/12/2003
Municipal Court in Leskovac, 12/01/2007
03/03/2004
13/02/2007
02/03/2017
13 year(s)
02/03/2017
10 year(s) and 18 day(s)
85
2,000
9689/17
23/01/2017
Sonja Ivanović
31/08/1966
Stojiljković Tamara
Leskovac
Municipal Court in Leskovac, 11/01/2007
07/02/2007
02/03/2017
10 year(s) and 24 day(s)
85
2,000
9715/17
23/01/2017
Ljiljana Stevanović
15/08/1958
Stojiljković Tamara
Leskovac
Municipal Court in Leskovac, 10/01/2007
19/02/2007
02/03/2017
10 year(s) and 12 day(s)
85
2,000
11572/17
25/01/2017
Petrovka Nastić
24/06/1950
Stojiljković Tamara
Leskovac
Municipal Court in Leskovac, 14/07/2003
Municipal Court in Leskovac, 04/04/2008
21/12/2007
28/08/2008
10/04/2017
9 year(s) and 3 month(s) and 21 day(s)
10/04/2017
8 year(s) and 7 month(s) and 14 day(s)
85
2,000
11575/17
25/01/2017
Stanimir Pešić
22/09/1960
Stojiljković Tamara
Leskovac
Municipal Court in Leskovac, 20/05/2003
16/01/2008
02/03/2017
9 year(s) and 1 month(s) and 15 day(s)
85
2,000
17182/17
23/02/2017
Vera Simić
13/08/1949
Glavonjić Radenko
Cacak
Municipal Court in Čačak,
10/09/2008
27/02/2009
01/02/2017
7 year(s) and 11 month(s) and 6 day(s)
300
2,000
28411/17
04/04/2017
Milan Stevanović
03/01/1966
Pantelić Slađana
Cacak
Commercial Court in Čačak, 14/05/2007
14/05/2007
30/01/2017
9 year(s) and 8 month(s) and 17 day(s)
100
2,000
39172/17
22/05/2017
Radmila Kovačević
05/11/1954
Stojiljković Tamara
Leskovac
Municipal Court in Leskovac, 27/11/2003
30/08/2007
06/06/2017
9 year(s) and 9 month(s) and 8 day(s)
170
2,000
41196/17
29/05/2017
Slađana Perišić
15/03/1962
Stojiljković Tamara
Leskovac
Commercial Court in Leskovac, 24/11/2003
Municipal Court in Leskovac, 18/01/2007
26/06/2007
19/04/2010
22/06/2017
9 year(s) and 11 month(s) and 28 day(s)
22/06/2017
7 year(s) and 2 month(s) and 4 day(s)
170
2,000
42796/17
05/06/2017
Srboljub Stojković
19/02/1950
Stojiljković Tamara
Leskovac
Municipal Court in Leskovac, 16/05/2003
Municipal Court in Leskovac, 15/05/2008
27/11/2007
21/05/2009
01/06/2017
9 year(s) and 6 month(s) and 6 day(s)
01/06/2017
8 year(s) and 12 day(s)
85
2,000
61022/17
04/08/2017
Mirijana Krstić
25/11/1967
Stojiljković Tamara
Leskovac
Municipal Court in Leskovac, 28/02/2008
26/06/2008
10/08/2017
9 year(s) and 1 month(s) and 16 day(s)
100
2,000
68482/17
11/09/2017
Marija Radovanović
01/09/1954
Stojiljković Tamara
Leskovac
Commercial Court in Leskovac, 01/12/2003
Municipal Court in Leskovac, 27/01/2007
03/03/2004
15/06/2007
10/08/2017
13 year(s) and 5 month(s) and 8 day(s)
10/08/2017
10 year(s) and 1 month(s) and 27 day(s)
100
2,000
68483/17
11/09/2017
Slaviša Stefanović
26/12/1956
Stojiljković Tamara
Leskovac
Municipal Court in Leskovac, 18/12/2006
02/02/2007
10/08/2017
10 year(s) and 6 month(s) and 9 day(s)
85
2,000
68484/17
11/09/2017
Dragana Ilić
16/11/1969
Stojiljković Tamara
Leskovac
Municipal Court in Leskovac, 27/11/2003
12/06/2007
10/08/2017
10 year(s) and 1 month(s) and 30 day(s)
100
2,000
68485/17
11/09/2017
Mirjana Stojiljković
19/05/1956
Stojiljković Tamara
Leskovac
Commercial Court in Leskovac, 24/11/2003
Municipal Court in Leskovac, 05/03/2007
14/03/2007
26/12/2007
15/09/2017
10 year(s) and 6 month(s) and 2 day(s)
15/09/2017
9 year(s) and 8 month(s) and 21 day(s)
100
2,000
71140/17
21/09/2017
Sunčica Stamenković
23/12/1972
Stojiljković Tamara
Leskovac
Municipal Court in Leskovac, 21/04/2003
Municipal Court in Leskovac, 11/04/2008
10/12/2007
16/10/2008
31/10/2017
9 year(s) and 10 month(s) and 22 day(s)
31/10/2017
9 year(s) and 16 day(s)
255
2,000
71143/17
21/09/2017
Mira Mladenović
17/08/1959
Stojiljković Tamara
Leskovac
Municipal Court in Leskovac, 17/09/2003
10/12/2007
10/08/2017
9 year(s) and 8 month(s) and 1 day(s)
255
2,000
71144/17
21/09/2017
Cvetan Marković
22/03/1952
Stojiljković Tamara
Leskovac
Municipal Court in Leskovac, 09/06/2003
07/04/2008
10/08/2017
9 year(s) and 4 month(s) and 4 day(s)
255
2,000
71601/17
25/09/2017
Gorica Matić
18/07/1965
Stojiljković Tamara
Leskovac
Municipal Court in Leskovac, 25/07/2005
13/04/2006
27/10/2017
11 year(s) and 6 month(s) and 15 day(s)
85
2,000
74803/17
16/10/2017
Radmila Đorđević
26/03/1963
Stojiljković Tamara
Leskovac
Municipal Court in Leskovac, 26/01/2005
18/03/2005
31/10/2017
12 year(s) and 7 month(s) and 14 day(s)
170
2,000
81427/17
25/11/2017
Ruža Krstić
13/04/1944
Stajić Srđan
Lebane
Municipal Court in Lebane,
07/09/2005
18/10/2011
16/08/2017
5 year(s) and 9 month(s) and 30 day(s)
100
2,000
3894/18
05/01/2018
Dobrica Jović
21/03/1965
Stajić Srđan
Lebane
Municipal Court in Lebane,
15/10/2007
26/12/2007
22/12/2017
9 year(s) and 11 month(s) and 27 day(s)
85
2,000
[1]. Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants.
[2]. Less any amounts which may have already been paid in that regard at the domestic level.
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