Owners of fields in the municipality of “Rodopi”, who waited 17 years for compensation with municipal lands, condemned the state in the ECHR – 2024-10-23 13:15:00

The government approved the payment of €6,500 in compensation following a settlement of an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

The four applicants complain about the excessive duration – nearly 17 years – of a restitution procedure for agricultural lands in the land of the village of Branipole, Rhodope MunicipalityPlovdiv region. The reason for the delay in the procedure is the various decisions of the Municipal Council of the Rodopi Municipality regarding the provision of agricultural land for compensation, some of which have been appealed in court. Pursuant to the entry into force
most recent court decision, the municipal council should provide properties from the municipal fund for the preparation of a compensation plan for the entitled owners on the territory of the “Rodopi” municipality.

In the light of its consistent practice, the ECtHR assisted the parties to reach an amicable settlement if the Bulgarian government agreed to pay a total of €6,500 in compensation to the applicants. With the conclusion of the agreement, the establishment of a violation of the Convention and a judgment of conviction in the case is avoided, and the complaint is deleted without being sent to the Committee of Ministers for monitoring the implementation. Expenses that would have been incurred in the procedure will not be paid until the final decision of the court.