FIRST SECTION
DECISION
Application no. 31385/23
Krzysztof SZMIT against Poland
and 8 other applications
(see appended table)
The European Court of Human Rights (First Section), sitting on 26 March 2026 as a Committee composed of:
Raffaele Sabato, President,
Artūrs Kučs,
Anna Adamska-Gallant, judges,
and Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,
Having regard to the above applications against the Republic of Poland 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 formal declarations accepting a friendly settlement of the 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 and Article 13 of the Convention concerning the excessive length of civil proceedings and the lack of any effective remedy in domestic law were communicated to the Polish Government (“the Government”).
The Court received the friendly-settlement declarations, signed by the parties, under which the applicants agreed to waive any further claims against Poland in respect of the facts giving rise to these applications, subject to an undertaking by the Government to pay them the amounts detailed in the appended table. These amounts will be converted into the currency of the respondent State at the rate applicable on the date of payment, and will 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 undertake 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 LAWHaving regard to the similar subject matter of the applications, the Court finds it appropriate to examine them jointly in a single decision.
The Court takes note of the friendly settlement reached between the parties. It is satisfied that the settlement is based on respect for human rights as defined in the Convention and the Protocols thereto and finds no reasons to justify a continued examination of the applications.
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;
Decides to strike the applications out of its list of cases in accordance with Article 39 of the Convention.
Done in English and notified in writing on 16 April 2026.
Viktoriya Maradudina Raffaele Sabato
Acting Deputy Registrar President
APPENDIX
List of applications raising complaints under Article 6 § 1 and Article 13 of the Convention
(excessive length of civil proceedings and lack of any effective remedy in domestic law)
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 declaration
Amount awarded for pecuniary and non-pecuniary damage per applicant/household
(in euros)[1]
Amount awarded for costs and expenses per application
(in euros)[2]
31385/23
07/08/2023
Krzysztof SZMIT
1958
Siwek Marcin
Plock
22/08/2024
06/11/2024
1,400
250
37474/23
04/10/2023
Andrzej TROJANOWSKI
1960
Gąsiorowska Monika Małgorzata
Warsaw
22/08/2024
14/07/2024
4,200
250
39415/23
19/10/2023
Janusz CICHOCKI
1957
Gąsiorowska Monika Małgorzata
Warsaw
22/08/2024
14/07/2024
4,200
250
18470/24
18/06/2024
Stanisław MAŁEK
1948
Gąsiorowska Monika Małgorzata
Warsaw
18/12/2025
26/09/2025
5,400
250
3118/25
17/01/2025
Marek NOWAK
1974
07/01/2026
03/11/2025
4,200
-
3649/25
22/01/2025
Tomasz LESZCZYŃSKI
1978
08/01/2026
21/10/2025
4,200
-
5527/25
05/02/2025
Piotr GŁADYSZ
1978
18/12/2025
04/12/2025
2,900
-
6166/25
16/02/2025
Mateusz ŁOŃSKI
1985
Cupiał Dawid
Warsaw
30/10/2025
28/09/2025
1,800
250
13054/25
03/04/2025
Household
Jan Ludwik PALICKI
1957
Grażyna PALICKA
1957
07/01/2026
13/10/2025
2,500
-
[1] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants.
[2] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants.