The Strasbourg court says the Slovenian handling of the “erased” and the handing of the precedent set by the Kurić case was appropriate. The court made the decision unanimously and sent a message that the events concerning the “erased” after the Kurić case were satisfactory. More than 2000 people appealed three years ago because Slovenia did not set up a compensation scheme in the designated time. According to the court, the five-month delay is not a sufficient reason for a negative appraisal. This was confirmed in May by a ministers’ committee at the Council of Europe, which oversees the implementation of the court’s decisions. The court stresses that the State has set aside funds for the “erased” and that it solved 97 percent of the claims in administrative proceedings between June 2014 and February 2016. The court is ware that the compensation for the “erased” is lower that what had been awarded in the Kurić case and in other pilot cases, but the claimants are entitled to at least 20 percent of that compensation amount.

The court stressed that there is enough space to maneuver and that the in other cases handled in Slovenia could see the compensation amount increase and reach 60 percent of the amount set aside for Kurić and others – 250 euros for a month of their “erasure” from citizenship rolls. Because this question has now been solved on the national level, the court sees no reason for other such appeal to be sent to Strasbourg, but the court will still – as is the common practice – consider handing similar appeals when circumstances permit.

Matjaž Trošt, RTV Slovenija

Translated by J. B.