Information Note on the Court’s case-law No. 78
September 2005
Van Houten v. the Netherlands - 25149/03
Judgment 29.9.2005 [Section III]
Article 37
Article 37-1-c
Continued examination not justified
Effect of unilateral declaration by Government: struck out
The authorities refused to grant the applicant a disability pension, in view of which he brought several sets of proceedings against them, the first set in 1988. The courts delivered decisions unfavourable to the applicant in 1994, 1997 and 2001. By letter of 7 July the Government submitted to the Court a unilateral decision stating that attempts to reach a friendly settlement between the parties had been unsuccessful. However, the Government expressly acknowledged the unreasonable duration of the domestic proceedings and accepted the applicant’s claims for non-pecuniary damage, up to a maximum of EUR 5,000, and the costs of the proceedings, to the amount of EUR 1,000. The Government’s admission was in line with the applicable jurisprudential standards. The Court understood the Government’s acceptance of the applicant’s claims as an undertaking to pay those sums to the applicant in the event of the Court’s striking the case out of its list. Accordingly, respect for human rights as defined in the Convention and the Protocols thereto did not require a continued examination of the application: struck out of the list.
© Council of Europe/European Court of Human Rights
This summary by the Registry does not bind the Court.
Click here for the Case-Law Information Notes
Full & Egal Universal Law Academy