FIRST SECTION
CASE OF KAMARÁS AND OTHERS v. HUNGARY
(Application no. 16771/23)
JUDGMENT
STRASBOURG
30 November 2023
This judgment is final but it may be subject to editorial revision.
In the case of Kamarás and Others v. Hungary,
The European Court of Human Rights (First Section), sitting as a Committee composed of:
Krzysztof Wojtyczek, President,
Lətif Hüseynov,
Ivana Jelić, judges,
and Attila Teplán, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,
Having deliberated in private on 9 November 2023,
Delivers the following judgment, which was adopted on that date:
PROCEDURE
1. The case originated in an application against Hungary lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the Convention”) on 1 April 2023.
2. The applicants were represented by Mr V. Kodela, a lawyer practising in Budapest.
3. The Hungarian Government (“the Government”) were given notice of the application.
THE FACTS
4. The list of applicants and the relevant details of the application are set out in the appended table.
5. The applicants complained of the excessive length of civil proceedings.
6. On 28 August 2023 the applicants’ representative informed the Court that the applicant Ms Józsefné Endrész had withdrawn her complaints.
THE LAWALLEGED VIOLATION OF ARTICLE 6 § 1 OF THE CONVENTION
7. The Court finds at the outset that the applicant Ms Józsefné Endrész may be regarded as no longer wishing to pursue the application (Article 37 § 1 (a) of the Convention). Furthermore, in accordance with Article 37 § 1 in fine, the Court finds no special circumstances regarding respect for human rights as defined in the Convention and the Protocols thereto which require the continued examination of the application in her regard.
8. The remaining applicants complained that the length of the civil proceedings in question had been incompatible with the “reasonable time” requirement. They relied on Article 6 § 1 of the Convention, which reads as follows:
Article 6 § 1
“In the determination of his civil rights and obligations ... everyone is entitled to a ... hearing within a reasonable time by [a] ... tribunal ...”
9. The Court reiterates that the reasonableness of the length of proceedings must be assessed in the light of the circumstances of the case and with reference to the following criteria: the complexity of the case, the conduct of the applicants and the relevant authorities and what was at stake for the applicants in the dispute (see Frydlender v. France [GC], no. 30979/96, § 43, ECHR 2000-VII).
10. In the leading case of Gazsó v. Hungary, no. 48322/12, 16 July 2015, the Court found a violation of Article 6 of the Convention in relation to the length of judicial proceedings.
11. Having examined all the material submitted to it, the Court has not found any fact or argument capable of justifying the overall length of the proceedings at the national level. Having regard to its case-law on the subject, the Court considers that in the instant case the length of the proceedings was excessive and failed to meet the “reasonable time” requirement.
12. These complaints are therefore admissible and disclose a breach of Article 6 § 1 of the Convention.APPLICATION OF ARTICLE 41 OF THE CONVENTION
13. 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.”
14. Regard being had to the documents in its possession and to its case‑law, the Court considers it reasonable to award the sums indicated in the appended table.
FOR THESE REASONS, THE COURT, UNANIMOUSLY,Decides to strike the application out of its list of cases in accordance with Article 37 § 1 (a) of the Convention in regard of Ms Józsefné Endrész;Declares the remaining applicants’ complaints concerning the excessive length of civil proceedings admissible;Holds that these complaints disclose a breach of Article 6 § 1 of the Convention concerning the excessive length of civil proceedings;Holds
(a) that the respondent State is to pay the applicants, within three months, the amount 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 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 30 November 2023, pursuant to Rule 77 §§ 2 and 3 of the Rules of Court.
Attila Teplán Krzysztof Wojtyczek
Acting Deputy Registrar President
APPENDIX
Application raising complaints under Article 6 § 1 of the Convention
(excessive length of civil proceedings)
Application no.
Date of introduction
Applicant’s name
Year of birth
Representative’s name and location
Start of proceedings
End of proceedings
Total length
Levels of jurisdiction
Amount awarded for pecuniary and non-pecuniary damage and costs and expenses per applicant
(in euros)[1]
16771/23
01/04/2023
(194 applicants)
Tibor Lajosné KAMARÁS
1932
Sára Juliánna ALEXAY
1948
Ferenc AMBRUS
1939
Ferenc János ANDA
1958
Tiborné ANTAL
1955
Ferenc Nándorné APPELT
1942
Károlyné BÁLINT
1938
Jenőné BALOGH
1938
Károlyné BALOGH
1936
Istvánné BÁNLAKI
1930
Anna Magdolna BARÓCSINÉ CSIK
1963
Tibor BARTA
1966
János BÁTOVSZKY
1973
Piroska BECSKÉNÉ VIZHÁNYÓ
1955
Adrien Mária BEDNÁRIKNÉ SZABÓ
1954
Sámuel Lászlóné BÉKÉSI
1938
Lászlóné BENÁK
1936
Gézáné BENEDEK
1935
Ferenc Árpád BENKŐ
1931
István BEREGHSZÁSZY
1934
Katalin BÍRÓ
1956
Edit BÓDI
1990
Károly BOHANEK
1956
József Ferenc BOROS
1959
Jánosné BOZSÓ
1950
Miklós László CSÉPÁNY
1947
Zsolt Zoltán CSERHALMI
1962
Valéria CSIZMAZIA
1936
Zoltánné CSIZY
1938
Attila CSONTOS
1976
Sándor CZEGLÉDI
1953
Andor Ferenc DALMADY
1955
Béla DÁVID
1900
Gábor József DIETRICH
1957
Richárd János DOBOS
1972
Zsuzsánna GOMBOS
1945
Éva Etelka EGYEDNÉ PETRÉNYI
1941
Ferenc EVELI
1938
Rezsőné EZER
1939
Lászlóné FÁBIÁN
1943
Iván László FAJNOR
1951
Sándorné FALKAY
1956
Mihályné FAZEKAS
1962
Ferenc FEHÉRPATAKY
1940
Tamás FEKETE
1977
Gábor FELSZEGHY
1982
Andrásné FERENCZY
1946
László FODOR
1954
Józsefné FÖLDVÁRI
1939
Zsuzsanna FÜLÖP
1954
Pál GALYAS
1952
Józsefné GAZDAG
1943
Lajos Tamás GEREBEN
1951
Klára Mária GICZI
1944
Ágnes Szilvia GODÓ
1969
Imre GOMBOS
1951
Lászlóné GONDOS
1937
Ágnes GRÖBNÉ KOVÁCS
1946
József GULYÁS
1946
Károly GYÁNYI
1958
Zsuzsanna Szandra GYŐREI
1981
Józsefné HAJNAL
1947
Sándor HALASI
1925
Éva HALÁSZ
1957
Györgyné HALÁSZ
1945
József HARTMANN
1961
László HARTMANN
1964
László HAVAI
1954
Tiborné HELMICH
1932
Ferencné HERCZEG
1929
Ottóné HERCZEGFALVY
1937
András Sándorné HERMANN
1945
Ágota HOCHWART
1944
Ferenc HŐNIG
1940
János HORVÁTH
1933
János ILLÉS
1957
József IPACS
1947
Ágnes JANKÓ
1966
Andrea JASZICZKY
1977
Béla JORGA
1945
Ernőné JUHÁSZ
1955
Ilona Rozália KADLECSIK
1957
Attila István KÁLNAI
1957
Gábor KERÉNYI
1964
János KÉRI
1942
Antal KISS
1930
Anna Emese KISSNÉ FÁTRAI
1955
Gyula Lajos KOCSIS
1941
Marianna KOCSIS TÓTH
1956
Istvánné KOCZKA
1940
Lajos István KONCZ
1941
Ottóné KÖRMENDI
1944
Gabriella KORPÁSNÉ BALCZER
1964
Éva Aranka KORVAS
1941
Péterné KOSA
1938
Tibor KŐSZEG
1950
Tamás KOSZKA
1954
Erzsébet KOVÁCS
1975
Zoltán KOVÁCS
1939
György KŐVÁRI
1955
Ferenc KREISZ
1967
Ferencné KREISZ
1940
Márton Tibor LABUDA
1955
Klára LAJTAINÉ SIMON
1968
Anna LAKNERFINÉ PÁSZTOR
1942
Béla Andrásné LÁSZLÓ
1936
László LECZKI
1935
János LEITOLD
1956
Anna LÉZU
1953
Lászlóné LUKÁCS
1946
Miklós MADACSAY
1944
Ilona MAGYAR
1949
Györgyi MAGYARY
1953
Gábor MAJOROS
1950
Gábor István MÁRTON
1955
Károlyné MARZSIN
1941
Szabolcsné MELEGH
1941
Gábor MERVEL
1955
Mónika MÉSZÁROS
1951
Józsefné METZ
1943
Béláné MIHALÁK
1954
László Zoltán MITNYIK
1961
Csaba Gábor MOLNÁR
1950
György Tiborné MOLNÁR
1944
László MOLNÁR
1932
Éva NAGY
1962
Sándor Miklós NAGY
1930
Tibor Miklósné NAGY
1934
Mária Margit NAGYNÉ SZAKMÁNY
1953
Józsefné NÉMETI
1958
Ödönné OBRUSÁNSZKI
1935
Klára Márta ÓNODI
1948
Dénes Mátyás PÁL
1956
Mihályné PÁLINKÁS
1956
László PALLÓS
1955
József Ferencné PÁLYI
1942
Róbert Tiborné PANKOVITS
1941
István Zoltán PAP
1977
Lajos PARASZT
1941
Ilona PARIZSA
1957
Zsuzsanna Jolán PÉTER-SZABÓ
1959
János Jakab PETRÁNYI
1940
István POZSGAI
1936
Lajosné PUPPÁN
1936
Magdolna Margit RAJNAI
1948
István REINHARDT
1941
Gyuláné RÉTI
1940
Józsefné RÉTI
1930
Ferencné REZSONYA
1945
Endre Pál RIVÓ
1958
Pál SAUER
1954
László SOÓS
1942
László Gézáné SRAMKÓ
1953
József STUBÁN
1949
János SZABÓ
1932
Józsefné SZABÓ
1938
László SZABÓ
1951
István Rezső SZALATKAY
1946
Judit SZALATKAY
1977
Róbert László SZÁNTÓ
1958
Erzsébet SZÉKELYNÉ SEPRÉNYI
1964
Gizella SZENTPÉTERI
1956
Rudolf Oszkár SZERENCSÉS
1950
Béla SZILÁGYI
1948
Andrásné SZIRÁKI
1934
László István SZIRÁKI
1962
Anna Katalin SZÖLLŐSINÉ CSIKÓS
1956
Jenő Ferenc SZOMBATH
1935
Tamás István SZÓRÁD
1955
Ferenc Antal TÖLGYESI
1949
Lajosné TOLNAI
1934
Éva TOMCSÁNYI
1954
Lászlóné TORMA
1937
Ágnes TÖRÖK
1967
Istvánné TÖRÖK
1947
Mihályné TÓTH
1952
Tivadar TÓTH
1950
Eszter Margit URBÁNNÉ BEKE
1936
Tünde Stefánia VAJDÁNÉ IDRÁNYI
1954
Gyula VANCZÁK
1957
Gábor VARGA
1974
László Géza VARGA
1963
László VARSÁNYI
1950
Istvánné VÉGH
1942
Miklós Jánosné VENESZ
1932
Jenőné VILÁGOS
1941
Ferenc Zoltánné VINKLER
1934
Judit VINKLER
1969
Ádámné VÖLGYESI
1934
Zoltán András VÖLGYESI
1966
István VONA
1958
Lászlóné VÖRÖS
1941
Mária ZELEY
1941
Péter ZENTAI
1980
Kodela Viktor
Budapest
06/04/2004
pending
More than 19 year(s) and 5 month(s) and 21 day(s) 1 level(s) of jurisdiction
2,000
[1] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants.
Full & Egal Universal Law Academy