site.btaBulgaria Pays 799,595 Euro for Indemnities under ECtHR Rulings in 2017

Sofia, November 30 (BTA) - This year Bulgaria has paid indemnities worth 799,595 euro under judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in Strasbourg, while last year it paid 969,492 euro and Germany, for example, paid 69,369 euro, National Ombudsman Maya Manolova said Thursday. She was speaking at a conference dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the ratification of the European Convention on Human Rights by Bulgaria.

Manolova added that Bulgaria has one of the biggest shares of non-implemented ECtHR judgments, and is one of four countries (together with Turkey, Romania, and Georgia) for which a procedure from ordinary to increased supervision of the judgments' execution has been conducted. Bulgaria makes up 7 per cent of the total number of cases placed under increased supervision, with only three countries (Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine) being ahead of this state, Manolova noted.

According to data of the National Ombudsman, there were 262 current cases involving Bulgaria at the ECtHR in October, and 108 of these are under increased supervision. Out of 649 convictions for 25 years, 287 cases were closed conclusively. "Often the Bulgarian institutions do not undertake the necessary actions to implement the Strasbour court's judgments," Manolova said. She added, however, that there is a positive example of a group of cases where Bulgaria has taken the necessary measures.

Manolova also said that at times of moral and political crises, the Convention on Human Rights and the ECtHR are the most reliable guardian of the values and principles on which the legal order in Europe is based. In her words, the systematic violations of the Convention are usually due to poor legislation and administrative practices.

Deputy Justice Minister Dessislava Ahladova said that by ratifying the Convention, Bulgaria has shown decisiveness to find the right path towards protecting fundamental rights. She said her ministry has set as a priority the overcoming of shortcomings in the legal system.