Romania Ordered By ECHR To Pay EUR3.6 Million Damages In 2010

The Romanian state was ordered to pay around EUR3.6 million in 2010, through the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), a lower amount than in previous years.

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This information was announced Monday by Horatiu Razvan Radu, Romania's representative to the ECHR, who pointed out that the compensation amount is much lower than in previous years. According to Radu, the state was ordered to pay EUR8 million in damages in 2007, and EUR12 million each in 2008 and 2009.

Radu also said the number of cases won by Romania before the ECHR is rising and should continue to rise once "repetitive issues" are settled once and for all. The causes responsible for most sentences against Romania include property rights, failure to observe court decisions, length of judicial proceedings and prison conditions.

Romania's representative added that most issues do not involve "serious breaches of human rights," but the failure of post-Communist reforms, a trait of former Communist countries.

In February, Bucharest will be host to an international conference on property restitution in accordance with ECHR jurisprudence, attended by representatives of 20 states, including Albania, Azerbaijan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, the Republic of Moldova, Georgia and Russia, he said.

As per a Court decision on October 12, 2010, in the case of Atanasiu and others v. Romania, the state has 18 months (as of January 12, 2011) to solve its problems with compensation awarded to former owners of buildings nationalized during the Communist period. Because of its inadequate legislation, Romania has had to pay damages of millions of euro.

Radu said a Prime Minister decision of December 3, 2010, created a workgroup on the issue, made up of the president of the National Property Restitution Authority, the Minister of Public Finance, the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Interior, the Minister of Agriculture and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. A bill is also being drafted, he said.

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