ZAFIROVSKI AND OTHERS v. NORTH MACEDONIA

  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.