SECOND SECTION
DECISION
Application no. 34384/24
Imre PALÁGYI and Others against Hungary
and 2 other applications
(see appended table)
The European Court of Human Rights (Second Section), sitting on 19 February 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 PROCEDURE
The 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 LAW
Having 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 12 March 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
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]
34384/24
26/08/2024
(12 applicants)
Imre PALÁGYI
1940
József FEHÉR
1951
József GUTTYÁN
1951
János KISS
1952
András KORMOS
1942
Pál KOVÁCS
1970
János LOVÁSZ
1950
Lukács MAJLÁTH
1962
Sándor NÉMETI
1956
Illésné NYESŐ
1934
Mihály Károlyné SZILÁGYI
1961
Emil TÓTH
1977
Pintér Fruzsina
Győr
02/12/2025
15/01/2026
200
37247/24
21/11/2024
(23 applicants)
Ferenc PÁL
1956
Jánosné BAGI
1944
Istvánné BÖRÖNTE
1964
Lukács BOROS
1959
László FEJES
1972
Csilla GAJDOSNÉ KANÁLOS
1973
Anita KÁTAINÉ MARKÓ
1979
Antal KUCZORA
1950
Györgyné KÜRI
1932
Erzsébet LAJKÓNÉ TÓTH
1971
Anita LÁSZLÓ-MÓRA
1976
Csaba LUKÁCSI
1974
Márta MÉSZÁROSNÉ VAS
1965
Attila MÓRA
1969
Józsefné SIPOS
1954
János SZABÓ
1985
Zoltán SZATMÁRI
1970
Sándor SZÖLLŐSI
1942
Csaba TÁRNAI
1968
Imre TÓTH
1954
József TÓTH
1955
Andrea VAKHAL
1982
Erika VAKHAL
1971
Pintér Fruzsina
Győr
01/12/2025
15/01/2026
200
37356/24
03/12/2024
(29 applicants)
Fruzsina ZALAVÁRI
1983
Gábor Antal FARKAS
1957
Erzsébet HERCZEGNÉ VLAHOVICS
1960
László HOLECZ
1958
Tibor HORVÁTH
1956
Anasztázia IVÁNKOVICS
1975
Gábor József KARDOS
1954
Anita KISS
1969
Bernadett KISS
1974
József KOLTAI
1954
Csaba KRISTÓ
1978
Balázs LÁSZLÓ
1978
László NAGY
1967
Gábor PETHES
1983
Ildikó Erzsébet PETHESNÉ KOHUT
1957
Ilona SEBŐKNÉ NÉMETH
1945
István SZABÓ
1971
Tímea SZEITLNÉ SZENCZ
1974
Imre SZIPOLA
1950
István Jánosné SZÖRCSÖK
1947
Istvánné TAPODI
1954
Edit Ilona TÓTH
1954
Katalin TÓTH-NÉMETH
1964
Béla TÜSKE
1944
Erzsébet VALENTIN
1956
Krisztián VALTER
1976
Rózsa VARGA
1961
Tiborné VARGA
1957
Zoltán VARGA
1959
Incze Gergely
Budapest
02/12/2025
15/01/2026
200
[1] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicant