Last Updated on May 3, 2019 by LawEuro
FIRST SECTION
DECISION
Application no.21667/13
Grzegorz GAJOS against Poland
and 50 other applications
(see list appended)
The European Court of Human Rights (First Section), sitting on 18 December 2018 as a Committee composed of:
Ksenija Turković, President,
Krzysztof Wojtyczek,
Pauliine Koskelo, judges,
and Renata Degener, Deputy Section Registrar,
Having regard to the above applications lodged on the various dates indicated in the appended table,
Having regard to the declarations submitted by the respondent Government on 22 June, 7 June and 9 July 2018 requesting the Court to strike the applications out of the list of cases and the applicants’ reply to these declarations,
Having deliberated, decides as follows:
FACTS AND PROCEDURE
1. A list of the applicants is set out in the appendix.
2. The Polish Government (“the Government”) were represented by their Agent, Ms J. Chrzanowska, and subsequently Mr J. Sobczak, of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
3. All the applicants complained under Article 6 § 1 of the Convention about the excessive length of proceedings in their cases and under Article 13 of the Convention about the lack of, or insufficient, redress for the excessive length of proceedings granted to them by the national courts.
4. The applications were communicated to the Government.
5. By letters dated 22 June, 7 June and 9 July 2018 the Government informed the Court that they proposed to make declarations with a view to resolving the issues raised by the applications. In each case the Government acknowledged a violation of Article 6 § 1 on account of the excessive length of proceedings and violation of Article 13 on account of the lack of an effective remedy, securing sufficient redress for a violation of Article 6 § 1. They offered payment of sums specified in respect of each applicant in a table appended to their declarations. The Government further undertook to adopt a range of general measures in respect of other persons who were victims of similar violations or might be affected by similar violations in the future. The sums referred to above, which are specified in the appendix to the decision, are to cover any pecuniary and non-pecuniary damage as well as costs and expenses, will be free of any taxes that may be applicable. They will be payable within three months from the date of notification of the decision taken by the Court pursuant to Article 37 § 1 of the Convention. In the event of failure to pay these sums within the said three-month period, the Government undertook to pay simple interest on each of them, from expiry of that period until settlement, at a rate equal to the marginal lending rate of the European Central Bank during the default periods plus three percentage points. In addition, the Government made a declaration on general measures to be adopted in implementation of the Rutkowski and Others pilot judgment (see Rutkowski and Others v. Poland, nos. 72287/10 and 2 others, 7 July 2015). They further requested the Court to strike out the applications in accordance with Article 37 of the Convention.
6. On various dates in 2018 the Court received letters from the applicants informing the Court that they had all agreed to the terms of the Government’s declarations.
THE LAW
7. Having regard to the similar subject matter of the applications, the Court finds it appropriate to examine them jointly in a single decision.
8. The Court finds that following the applicants’express agreement to the terms of declarations made by the Government the cases should be treated as a friendly settlement between the parties.
9. The Court has already examined the unilateral declarations submitted by the Government in the pilot-judgment procedure in the case Rutkowski and Others (cited above). It found that, in view of the amounts proposed by the Government in their unilateral declarations on the individual measures of redress, there have been no circumstances regarding respect for human rights as defined in the Convention and its Protocols which would require the continued examination of the cases where a friendly settlement has been concluded (see Załuska and Rogalska v. Poland and 398 other applications (dec.), nos. 53491/10 and 72286/10, § 37, 20 June 2017). It has also been satisfied that, having regard to the general measures taken or to be taken in the future by the respondent Government, the settlement was based on “respect for human rights” as interpreted in the context of the pilot‑judgment procedure (see ibid, § 45).
10. The same conclusions apply to the instant cases. The Court therefore takes note of the friendly settlements reached between the parties. It is satisfied that the settlements are based on respect for human rights as defined in the Convention and its Protocols and finds no reasons to justify a continued examination of the applications.
11. 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 pursuant to Article 39 of the Convention.
Done in English and notified in writing on 24 January 2019.
RenataDegener KsenijaTurković
DeputyRegistrar President
Appendix
| No. | Application no. | Lodged on | Applicant
Date of birth Place of residence |
Represented by | Amount proposed in Unilateral Declaration |
| 1. | 21667/13 | 19/03/2013 | Grzegorz GAJOS
08/07/1975 Warsaw |
PLN 15,870 | |
| 2. | 30631/13 | 22/04/2013 | Rafał Marcin ZABOROWSKI
23/06/1980 Łódź |
PLN 11,860 | |
| 3. | 33900/14 | 05/08/2014 | Marek Adam WASYLKOWSKI
12/09/1969 Gdańsk |
PLN 8,890 | |
| 4. | 37428/15 | 21/07/2015 | Czesław PACH
08/11/1959 Radłów |
Edyta KONKA | PLN 27,520 |
| 5. | 41947/15 | 14/08/2015 | Zbigniew RESZKA
28/12/1952 Warsaw |
Natalia OŁOWSKA-CZAJKA | PLN 21,840 |
| 6. | 43631/15 | 25/08/2015 | DariuszArtur SKOWRONEK
15/06/1966 Lublin |
PLN 6,050 | |
| 7. | 44691/15 | 02/09/2015 | Paweł CHOROŚ
12/09/1975 Warsaw |
Marta SKRZYMOWSKA | PLN 17,980 |
| 8. | 3752/16 | 12/01/2016 | Piotr TOMASZEWSKI
06/03/1987 Siedlce |
PLN 15,410 | |
| 9. | 7159/16 | 20/01/2016 | Robert Zdzisław SZAMBOROWSKI
03/09/1974 Przytuły Stare |
PLN 15,600 | |
| 10. | 7254/16 | 29/01/2016 | Andrzej Tadeusz PRZEWOSKI
10/10/1966 Kwidzyn |
PLN 15,290 | |
| 11. | 8071/16 | 04/02/2016 | Marcin PODKAŃSKI
21/12/1985 Lublin |
PLN 14,980 | |
| 12. | 10949/16 | 08/02/2016 | Bernard KNITTER
28/02/1938 Sopot Mieczysław STEFAŃSKI 01/01/1951 Sopot Józef ZAGUBIEŃ 08/09/1941 Gdańsk |
PLN 40,560 to B. Knitter,
PLN 40,560 to M. Stefański, PLN 40,560 to J. Zagubień |
|
| 13. | 11004/16 | 05/02/2016 | Andrzej Tadeusz PRZEWOSKI
10/10/1966 Kwidzyn |
PLN 29,660 | |
| 14. | 11893/16 | 12/02/2016 | Michał CHOJECKI
10/11/1988 Rzekuń |
PLN 5,630 | |
| 15. | 12089/16 | 26/02/2016 | MarzenaKatarzyna SKŁUCKA
27/04/1966 Wien |
PLN 44,460 | |
| 16. | 13103/16 | 20/04/2016 | Sebastian KOWALSKI
05/06/1991 Sztum |
PLN 4,240 | |
| 17. | 13240/16 | 29/02/2016 | Janusz GUZIK
18/02/1965 Łęczyca |
PLN 10,380 | |
| 18. | 17441/16 | 09/03/2016 | Krzysztof DUTKIEWICZ
30/06/1982 Dubliny |
PLN 16,720 | |
| 19. | 20969/16 | 17/05/2016 | Przemysław JORDAN
23/01/1982 Katowice |
PLN 15,280 | |
| 20. | 23596/16 | 21/04/2016 | Grzegorz SUSKI
29/09/1959 Gdańsk |
Marcin LIPSKI | PLN 44,870 |
| 21. | 23634/16 | 22/04/2016 | Dominik MROZIŃSKI
10/01/1984 Tarnobrzeg |
Sebastian MROZIŃSKI | PLN 20,280 |
| 22. | 23874/16 | 21/04/2016 | Cezary KOWALCZYK
08/04/1978 Lublin |
Sebastian KOTUŁA | PLN 12,360 |
| 23. | 23897/16 | 18/04/2016 | Jan PRZYWARA
21/12/1959 Gdańsk |
PLN 42,370 | |
| 24. | 26288/16 | 31/05/2016 | Marcin PAZIO
14/11/1985 Siedlce |
PLN 21,400 | |
| 25. | 28055/16 | 16/05/2016 | Andrzej WŁODARCZYK
24/12/1970 StrzelceOpolskie |
PLN 9,270 | |
| 26. | 31163/16 | 24/06/2016 | Dariusz MIKULSKI
02/10/1983 Warsaw |
PLN 3,740 | |
| 27. | 31989/16 | 30/05/2016 | Waldemar CZYŻ
19/07/1972 ŻółtańceKolonia |
PLN 16,220 | |
| 28. | 32677/16 | 29/06/2016 | Norbert DWORAKOWSKI
09/10/1964 Hajnówka |
PLN 10,590 | |
| 29. | 36439/16 | 05/09/2016 | Grzegorz Jacek SKOWROŃSKI
10/05/1975 Brzeg |
Jolanta GRUDZIEŃ | PLN 8,900 |
| 30. | 38899/16 | 07/10/2016 | Arkadiusz KRUCZEK
18/04/1973 Gdańsk |
PLN 24,460 | |
| 31. | 39510/16 | 23/06/2016 | Karol PIŁAT
12/05/1988 Lublin |
PLN 7,800 | |
| 32. | 43382/16 | 29/08/2016 | Krzysztof SKRZYPEK
20/08/1965 Kamińsk |
PLN 34,320 | |
| 33. | 43776/16 | 20/07/2016 | Konrad KOSOWSKI
19/01/1981 Konstancin-Jeziorna |
PLN 10,380 | |
| 34. | 48262/16 | 08/08/2016 | Jacek WOŁOSZCZUK
29/06/1966 Chełm |
PLN 10,170 | |
| 35. | 52298/16 | 29/08/2016 | Małgorzata ŁEPIK-SZOSTAK
25/12/1967 Chełm |
PLN 13,190 | |
| 36. | 53555/16 | 30/08/2016 | Marek PRZYWARA
12/02/1961 Gdańsk |
Marcin LIPSKI | PLN 51,450 |
| 37. | 54057/16 | 06/09/2016 | MirosławStanisław KAWALEC
13/10/1967 Dorohusk |
PLN 10,170 | |
| 38. | 55205/16 | 15/09/2016 | JarosławSławomir KUCIŃSKI
25/08/1996 Chełm |
PLN 16,220 | |
| 39. | 57263/16 | 20/09/2016 | Andrzej BETIUK
22/11/1966 Chełm |
PLN 16,220 | |
| 40. | 58288/16 | 28/09/2016 | Jarosław SOKOŁOWSKI
03/07/1969 Chełm |
PLN 16,220 | |
| 41. | 60112/16 | 24/11/2016 | Przemysław MISZTA
05/12/1979 NowogródBobrzański |
PLN 12,480 | |
| 42. | 77767/16 | 09/12/2016 | Łukasz TYBULCZUK
15/04/1991 Warsaw |
Monika GĄSIOROWSKA | PLN 15,730 |
| 43. | 78947/16 | 03/12/2016 | Krzysztof CIEMIŃSKI
05/03/1987 Warsaw |
PLN 15,580 | |
| 44. | 3004/17 | 05/01/2017 | Mariusz WITAN
03/10/1982 Warsaw |
Anna IMBIRSKA | PLN 15,720 |
| 45. | 10438/17 | 10/01/2017 | Robert RAKOWSKI
15/06/1974 Żytkowice |
PLN 26,410 | |
| 46. | 18745/17 | 03/03/2017 | Grzegorz LUCHOWSKI
18/07/1971 Chełm |
PLN 16,220 | |
| 47. | 25261/17 | 27/03/2017 | Szymon MACIUSZONEK
27/10/1967 Warsaw |
Piotr KAWALEC | PLN 35,200 |
| 48. | 26121/17 | 29/03/2017 | Filip GAWRYSZEWSKI
23/04/1989 Warsaw |
Natalia SERWIŃSKA | PLN 8,470 |
| 49. | 26124/17 | 29/03/2017 | Leszek BŁASZCZAK
02/05/1988 Warsaw |
Natalia SERWIŃSKA | PLN 8,470 |
| 50. | 27241/17 | 29/03/2017 | Jakub WROŃSKI
15/06/1984 Warsaw |
PLN 15,720 | |
| 51. | 33541/17 | 26/04/2017 | Emil GAŁECKI
14/11/1982 Warsaw |
PLN 7,410 |
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