SECOND SECTION
DECISION
Application no. 41929/23
Vlasto ZAFIROVSKI and Others against North Macedonia
and 19 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 Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,
Having regard to the above applications against the Republic of North Macedonia 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 is set out in the appended table.
The applicants were represented by Ms D. Chakarovska-Grozdanovska, a lawyer practising in Skopje.
The applicants’ complaints under Article 6 § 1 of the Convention concerning the excessive length of civil proceedings were communicated to the Government of North Macedonia (“the Government”).
The Court received the friendly-settlement declarations, signed by the parties, under which the applicants agreed to waive any further claims against North Macedonia 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 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 receipt of Government’s declaration
Date of receipt of the applicants’ declaration
Amount awarded for non-pecuniary damage
per applicant
(in euros)[1]
Amount awarded for costs and expenses per application
(in euros)[2]
41929/23
22/11/2023
(4 applicants)
Vlasto ZAFIROVSKI
1967
Goran PROKIKJ
1964
Velja RISTIKJ
1964
Verka STEFANOVSKA
1948
15/01/2026
03/12/2025
750
120
41955/23
27/11/2023
(4 applicants)
Vlastimir PESHEVSKI
1956
Aleksandar KUZMANOVSKI
1947
Stole SERAFIMOVSKI
1951
Slave STOJANOVSKI
1964
15/01/2026
03/12/2025
750
120
42464/23
30/11/2023
(4 applicants)
Ruse PETKOVSKI
1966
Suzana GJORGJIEVSKA
1966
Veli ILJAZI
1954
Stojanche SPASOVSKI
1969
15/01/2026
03/12/2025
750
120
42604/23
28/11/2023
(4 applicants)
Marjan NASKOVSKI
1963
Stojna KUZMANOVSKA
1965
Valentina SERAFIMOVSKA
1966
Zorka TASEVSKA
1952
15/01/2026
03/12/2025
750
120
42605/23
29/11/2023
(4 applicants)
Mirjana PETROVSKA
1958
Suzana MANOJLOVSKA
1966
Mira SMILEVA
1955
Valentina STOSHIKJ
1971
15/01/2026
03/12/2025
750
120
42606/23
01/12/2023
(4 applicants)
Sami ABAZI
1955
Gani ALITI
1954
Aneta BOZHINOVSKA
1972
Dragan PETKOVSKI
1952
15/01/2026
03/12/2025
750
120
42930/23
06/12/2023
(4 applicants)
Dimcho NIKOLOVSKI
1955
Sasho GJORGIEVSKI
1965
Jasminka MADIKJ
1972
Suzana SIMMONDS
1971
15/01/2026
03/12/2025
750
120
42932/23
05/12/2023
(4 applicants)
Silvana TRAJKOVSKA
1967
Mira PETROVSKA
1966
Chedo STEVKOVSKI
1958
Borko VELICHKOVSKI
1964
15/01/2026
03/12/2025
750
120
42941/23
04/12/2023
(4 applicants)
Blagojka PETROVSKA
1957
Dushka KRSTEVSKA
1954
Dajana NIKOLOVSKA
1971
Ljubomir PAVLOVIKJ
1966
15/01/2026
03/12/2025
750
120
42992/23
07/12/2023
(4 applicants)
Lenka STANKOVSKA
1954
Nadica JANEVSKA
1955
Vera PETKOVSKA
1952
Ace RISTOVSKI
1960
15/01/2026
03/12/2025
750
120
643/24
15/12/2023
(4 applicants)
Zhaklina VUKANOVSKA
1968
Violeta GEORGIEVSKA
1950
Margarita JOVANOVSKA
1968
Petar MLADENOVSKI
1944
15/01/2026
03/12/2025
750
120
697/24
20/12/2023
(4 applicants)
Tome MLADENOVSKI
1956
Slagjanka ILIKJ
1963
Biljana JAKIMOVSKA
1954
Marjan PETRUSHEVSKI
1967
15/01/2026
03/12/2025
750
120
781/24
12/12/2023
(4 applicants)
Chedo PETROVSKI
1952
Dragica BOJKOVSKA
1951
Aleksandra IVANOVA
1948
Stojanka SIMONOVSKA
1961
15/01/2026
03/12/2025
750
120
800/24
11/12/2023
(4 applicants)
Lidija SAZDEVSKA
1964
Vera ARANGJELOVA
1951
Slavko ARSOVSKI
1953
Marjan NIKOLOVSKI
1963
15/01/2026
03/12/2025
750
120
960/24
25/12/2023
(4 applicants)
Marinko JOVCHEVSKI
1964
Velko APOSTOLOVSKI
1964
Zoran KIPRIJANOVIKJ
1963
Aleksandar MILANOVSKI
1976
15/01/2026
03/12/2025
750
120
983/24
19/12/2023
(4 applicants)
Slobodan ILIKJ
1957
Fona BOZHINOVSKA
1958
Srbin JANCHIKJ
1971
Slavica TRAJKOVSKA
1953
15/01/2026
03/12/2025
750
120
1047/24
26/12/2023
(4 applicants)
Tomislav STOJANOVSKI
1964
Tane IVANOVSKI
1956
Mome STOJANOVSKI
1963
Jovan TODOROVSKI
1954
15/01/2026
03/12/2025
750
120
1082/24
22/12/2023
(4 applicants)
Boris STANKOVSKI
1955
Chaslav DIMITRIEVSKI
1952
Goran DIMITRIJEVSKI
1964
Milorad TOSHIKJ
1954
15/01/2026
03/12/2025
750
120
1167/24
27/12/2023
(4 applicants)
Branko KRSTEVSKI
1958
Miomir DIMITRIEVSKI
1965
Mira KARADJINSKA
1963
Jovica KARADJINSKI
1958
15/01/2026
03/12/2025
750
120
1195/24
21/12/2023
(4 applicants)
Lidija GOLUBOVIKJ
1959
Dragan ANASTASOVSKI
1959
Boban MITROVSKI
1964
Chede PETROVSKI
1961
15/01/2026
03/12/2025
750
120
[1] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants.
[2] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants.