SECOND SECTION
DECISION
Application no. 596/25
Ferencné MARTINEK against Hungary
and 4 other applications
(see appended table)
The European Court of Human Rights (Second Section), sitting on 26 March 2026 as a Committee composed of:
Stéphane Pisani, President,
Juha Lavapuro,
Hugh Mercer, judges,
and Attila Teplán, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,
Having regard to the above applications against Hungary 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,
Having regard to the declarations submitted by the respondent Government requesting the Court to strike the applications out of the list of cases,
Having deliberated, decides as follows:
FACTS AND PROCEDUREThe list of applicants and their representatives is set out in the appended table.
The applicants’ complaints under Article 6 § 1 of the Convention concerning the excessive length of civil proceedings were communicated to the Hungarian Government (“the Government”).
THE LAWHaving regard to the similar subject matter of the applications, the Court finds it appropriate to examine them jointly in a single decision.
After unsuccessful friendly-settlement negotiations, the Government informed the Court that they proposed to make unilateral declarations with a view to resolving the issues raised by these complaints. They further requested the Court to strike out the applications in accordance with Article 37 of the Convention.
The Government acknowledged the excessive length of civil proceedings. They offered to pay the applicants the amounts detailed in the appended table and invited the Court to strike the applications out of the list of cases in accordance with Article 37 § 1 (c) of the Convention. The amounts would be converted into the currency of the respondent State at the rate applicable on the date of payment, and would be payable within three months from the date of notification of the Court’s decision. In the event of failure to pay these amounts within the above-mentioned three-month period, the Government undertook to pay simple interest on them, from the expiry of that period until settlement, at a rate equal to the marginal lending rate of the European Central Bank during the default period plus three percentage points.
The payment will constitute the final resolution of the cases.
The applicants were sent the terms of the Government’s unilateral declarations several weeks before the date of this decision. The Court has not received a response from the applicants accepting the terms of the declarations.
The Court observes that Article 37 § 1 (c) enables it to strike a case out of its list if:
“... for any other reason established by the Court, it is no longer justified to continue the examination of the application”.
Thus, it may strike out applications under Article 37 § 1 (c) on the basis of a unilateral declaration by a respondent Government even if the applicants wish the examination of the cases to be continued (see, in particular, the Tahsin Acar v. Turkey judgment (preliminary objections) [GC], no. 26307/95, §§ 75‑77, ECHR 2003-VI).
The Court has established clear and extensive case-law concerning complaints relating to the excessive length of civil proceedings (see, for example, Gazsó v. Hungary, no. 48322/12, 16 July 2015 and Csatári and Others v. Hungary [Committee], no. 18514/24, 20 May 2025).
Noting the admissions contained in the Government’s declarations as well as the amount of compensation proposed – which is consistent with the amounts awarded in similar cases – the Court considers that it is no longer justified to continue the examination of the applications (Article 37 § 1 (c)).
In the light of the above considerations, the Court is satisfied that respect for human rights as defined in the Convention and the Protocols thereto does not require it to continue the examination of the applications (Article 37 § 1 in fine).
Finally, the Court emphasises that, should the Government fail to comply with the terms of their unilateral declarations, the applications may be restored to the list in accordance with Article 37 § 2 of the Convention (Josipović v. Serbia (dec.), no. 18369/07, 4 March 2008).
In view of the above, it is appropriate to strike the cases out of the list.
For these reasons, the Court, unanimously,
Decides to join the applications;
Takes note of the terms of the respondent Government’s declarations and of the arrangements for ensuring compliance with the undertakings referred to therein;
Decides to strike the applications out of its list of cases in accordance with Article 37 § 1 (c) of the Convention.
Done in English and notified in writing on 16 April 2026.
Attila Teplán Stéphane Pisani
Acting Deputy Registrar President
APPENDIX
List of applications raising complaints under Article 6 § 1 of the Convention
(excessive length of civil proceedings)
No.
Application no.
Date of introduction
Applicant’s name
Year of birth /
Date of registration
Representative’s name and location
Date of receipt of Government’s declaration
Date of receipt of applicant’s comments, if any
Amount awarded for pecuniary and non‑pecuniary damage and costs and expenses per applicant
(in euros)[1]
596/25
19/12/2024
Ferencné MARTINEK
1951
Incze Gergely
Budapest
23/01/2026
20/02/2026
200
6361/25
10/02/2025
(25 applicants)
Antal KAJTÁR
1948
István AGÓCS
1952
András Márton GERGYE
1995
László Ádám GERGYE
1995
Tamás GERGYE
1965
Gábor JAKAB
1981
Józsefné JAKAB
1950
Marianna JANOS
1958
László JANOV
1970
Dezső Ferencné KISFALUDY
1936
Anita KOCSISNÉ MÁRK
1974
Lilla KONDOR
2009
Kálmánné MÁRK
1951
Orsolya MÁRK
1980
Tibor MÁRK
1982
Imre MAYER
1958
Miklós MESTERHÁZY
1954
László NAGY
1956
Antal Csaba NÉMETH
1959
Róbert PIEGEL
1977
Zoltán PIEGEL
1971
Lászlóné TÓTH
1958
ÜDÜLŐTULAJDONOSOK ORSZÁGOS EGYESÜLETE
2016
Attila VAREHA
1940
Balázs VARGA
1955
Barbalics István
Budapest
22/01/2026
10/02/2026
200
9969/25
21/03/2025
(16 applicants)
János PAIS
1942
Krisztina Mónika BÉKEFY
1974
Miklós Antal BEREND
1942
Lászlóné BERZSENYI
1931
Attila BOTYIK
1970
Géza DRÁBIK
1975
Judit DRÁBIK
1969
Erika Ildikó FENYVESNÉ BÉKEFY
1971
György Ottó HASZLER
1934
Tamás HORVÁTH
1977
András Gyula KELEMEN
1948
Evelin Zita MÁRTON
1993
Andrea NAGYNÉ BÉKEFY
1955
Mária NAGYNÉ TÓTH
1952
Gáborné NOÉ
1953
Ottó WEISZ
1948
Kodela Viktor
Budapest
22/01/2026
25/02/2026
200
18189/25
27/05/2025
(19 applicants)
Ágnes RILL-PALOTAI
1985
Sándorné BAGÓ
1937
Mária BAYERNÉ GYERAJ
1955
Péter Pál DENKE
1948
Ágnes Terézia ERDŐSNÉ GAZDIK
1958
Enikő FACSARNÉ SZŐCS
1974
Istvánné FÖLDESI
1955
Gyuláné GODÓ
1951
Mária HAVASINÉ SZÁDOCZKI
1940
Ádám Valér KISS
1976
Balázs András KOVÁCS
1970
Mária MÁNYOKI
1940
Gábor Olivér NAGY
1980
Katalin NYITRAI
1974
László Károly NYITRAI-BIELUCZKY
1972
Balázs PÉNTEK
1952
Kálmánné SOMODI
1931
Sándor TEMESVÁRY
1953
Erika Erzsébet VÁMOS
1962
Kodela Viktor
Budapest
22/01/2026
25/02/2026
200
22087/25
16/07/2025
(12 applicants)
Dezsőné LANCSÁK
1936
Krisztina DUBNICZKI
1981
Eszter Dorottya FACSAR
2005
Gergely Attila FACSAR
2002
Józsefné ILLÉS
1944
Attila IVANOVICS
1962
László KIRÁLY
1936
Edvárd KOVÁCS
1973
Gábor Árpád MÉSZÁROS
1946
Ágnes POROSZKAI
1971
Lajosné SZOMBATI
1955
Éva UNGI
1967
Kodela Viktor
Budapest
22/01/2026
25/02/2026
200
[1] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants.