PETRUSHEVSKI AND OTHERS v. NORTH MACEDONIA

  SECOND SECTION DECISION Application no. 1345/24 Novica PETRUSHEVSKI and Others against North Macedonia and 18 other applications (see appended table) The European Court of Human Rights (Second Section), sitting on 7 May 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 bankruptcy 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 28 May 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 applicants’ declaration Amount awarded for non-pecuniary damage per applicant (in euros)[1] Amount awarded for costs and expenses per application (in euros)[2]    1345/24 03/01/2024 (4 applicants) Novica PETRUSHEVSKI 1956   Momchilo ARSOVSKI 1954   Trajan DIMIKJ 1965   Slobodan ZAFIROVSKI 1965   19/03/2026 03/12/2025 750 120    2196/24 11/01/2024 (4 applicants) Grozdan PETRUSHEVSKI 1957   Frosina MITEVSKA 1986   Miomir MITROVIKJ 1961   Blagoja STEFANOVSKI 1954 19/03/2026 03/12/2025 750 120    2299/24 12/01/2024 (4 applicants) Dejan MITEVSKI 1972   Stanko ATANASOVSKI 1954   Ivica PETKOVSKI 1971   Gjorgji SERAFIMOVSKI 1954 19/03/2026 03/12/2025 750 120    2327/24 04/01/2024 (4 applicants) Aca PETRUSHEVIKJ 1961   Zoran CVETKOVSKI 1960   Mirisat SEJDI 1968   Marjan STEFANOVSKI 1963 19/03/2026 03/12/2025 750 120    2333/24 10/01/2024 (4 applicants) Branko DENKOVIKJ 1963   Dragan DIMKOVIKJ 1967   Ismail FEJZULI 1952   Blagica JOVANOVSKA 1957   19/03/2026 03/12/2025 750 120    2784/24 15/01/2024 (4 applicants) Zoran VELICHKOVSKI 1964   Biljana KOLEVSKA 1952   Boban TASEVSKI 1971   Metodija TASEVSKI 1949 19/03/2026 03/12/2025 750 120    2910/24 22/01/2024 (4 applicants) Novko ANCHEVSKI 1956   Biljana MLADENOVSKA 1966   Slobodan PETROVSKI 1948   Tihomir VUKADINOVIKJ 1962 19/03/2026 03/12/2025 750 120    3360/24 16/01/2024 (4 applicants) Divna JOVANOVSKA 1956   Goran DIMKOVSKI 1969   Roza MITEVSKA 1949   Branislav TRAJKOVSKI 1947   19/03/2026 03/12/2025 750 120    3372/24 24/01/2024 (4 applicants) Eljam AZIZI 1962   Suzana DICHEVSKA 1965   Dragan GJORGJEVSKI 1957   Aco PETRUSHEVSKI 1966 19/03/2026 03/12/2025 750 120  3397/24 17/01/2024 (4 applicants) Savo DODEVSKI 1964   Tanja PETKOVSKA 1967   Fadilj SHABANI 1972   Zoran SPASOVSKI 1960 19/03/2026 03/12/2025 750 120  3414/24 18/01/2024 (4 applicants) Gjoko IVANOVSKI 1950   Trajche ILIJEVSKI 1961   Blashko SEKIRARSKI 1950   Radmila STOJANOVSKA 1950   19/03/2026 03/12/2025 750 120  3429/24 23/01/2024 (4 applicants) Dragan PESHEVSKI 1962   Rade ATANASOVSKI 1954   Sanja MLADENOVSKA 1986   Dragan TRAJKOVSKI 1965 19/03/2026 03/12/2025 750 120  3691/24 29/01/2024 (4 applicants) Trajcho VANCHEVSKI 1954   Milorad DONEVSKI 1961   Srekjko ILIEVSKI 1963   Vidoslav MILOSHEVSKI 1955 19/03/2026 03/12/2025 750 120  3702/24 25/01/2024 (4 applicants) Stanko GJORGJEVIKJ 1965   Goran BOJKOVSKI 1970   Blagoja KARANFILOVSKI 1955   Stanimir ZLATANOVSKI 1951   19/03/2026 03/12/2025 750 120  3718/24 26/01/2024 (4 applicants) Tatjana KRSTEVSKA 1956   Vesna AVRAMOVSKA 1959   Zorica DIMITRIJEVSKA 1957   Srekjko GJORGJEVSKI 1964 19/03/2026 03/12/2025 750 120  3732/24 25/01/2024 Zoran GEORGIEVSKI 1966   19/03/2026 03/12/2025 750 30  4166/24 30/01/2024 (4 applicants) Strashko ILIEVSKI 1964   Chedomir MILEVSKI 1948   Slagjana SPASIKJ 1963   Perica TASEVSKI 1970 19/03/2026 03/12/2025 750 120  4185/24 31/01/2024 (4 applicants) Mile TOMIKJ 1963   Dragan JOVANOVIKJ 1952   Slave MIHAJLOVSKI 1963   Zoran NASKOVSKI 1965   19/03/2026 03/12/2025 750 120  9806/24 21/03/2024 Goran PETKOVSKI 1971   Lidija MITKOVSKA 1969   19/03/2026 03/12/2025 750 60   [1] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants. [2] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants.