CEDH · PRESS;GENERAL;ENG — 21 juin 1999

.s3ABFC313 { font-size:10pt } .s598389F9 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center; font-size:12pt } .s29100277 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold } .s85646119 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; font-size:12pt } .s23A41E03 { width:36pt; display:inline-block } .sBB9EE52A { font-family:Arial } .s7ED160F0 { text-decoration:none } .s33165EBA { font-family:Arial; font-size:8pt; vertical-align:super; color:#0069d6 } .sEDC5336B { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; page-break-inside:avoid; page-break-after:avoid; font-size:12pt } .sCB27B9E { width:16.66pt; display:inline-block } .s9378202A { width:33.05pt; display:inline-block } .s6442AFE5 { width:23.04pt; display:inline-block } .sCBC20640 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; page-break-inside:avoid; page-break-after:avoid; font-size:12pt } .sA36B60A1 { font-family:Arial; font-style:italic } .sF6A12959 { width:33%; height:1px; text-align:left } .s32563E28 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt } .s653E6C45 { font-family:Arial; font-size:6.67pt; vertical-align:super; color:#0069d6 } .sA1D3DA2E { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify }     EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS                         349                     21.6.1999       Press release issued by the Registrar   STEEP RISE IN WORKLOAD FOR EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS       The workload of the European Court of Human Rights has continued to rise sharply since the Court’s restructuring in November 1998, statistics released today reveal.     Currently [1] , the Court has before it a total of nearly 10,000 registered applications (9,979) and a further 47,186 provisional files, around one third of which would generally become registered applications.     The largest number of registered applications are against Turkey (2,115), followed by Italy (1,472), Poland (943), the United Kingdom (706) and France (667) [2] . The largest number of provisional files are against Italy (8,273), followed by France (7,767), Poland (5,816), Germany (4,750) and the UK (4,457) [3] .     The number of applications arriving annually continues to increase, with 10,217 provisional files opened so far this year, a period of less than six months, which is more than the total figure for 1995 (10,201) and is already nearly two thirds of last year’s total (16,353). Similarly, the number of applications registered so far this year, 3,643, exceeds the total for 1995 (3,481) and is approaching two thirds of the 1998 total of 5,981.         Launching the statistics today, President of the Court Luzius Wildhaber said: “On 1 November 1998 the Court was restructured to cope with an increasing volume of applications, to speed up the time taken to examine cases and to strengthen the judicial nature of the system.        However, the continuing steep increase in the number of applications to the Court is putting even the new system under pressure. Today, we are faced with nearly 10,000 registered applications and more than 47,000 provisional files, as well as around 700 letters and more than 200 overseas telephone calls a day.     The volume of work is already daunting, but it is set to become more challenging still, especially as applications come in from countries which ratified the European Convention on Human Rights in the late 1990s [4] .     What can be done? There can be no doubt that the Council of Europe’s member States have a vital role to play.   To reduce the Court’s workload, firm political commitment is needed to ensure the Convention is respected at national level. Governments, legislators and the judiciary in member States need to work together to enforce the Convention and all its articles and protocols, whether the right to life or   freedom from torture or the right to a fair trial within a reasonable time.”   ***   Further information on the Court can be found on its Internet site: http://www.dhcour.coe.fr     Registry of the European Court of Human Rights F – 67075 Strasbourg Cedex Contacts:   Roderick Liddell (telephone: (0)3 88 41 24 92) Or:   Emma Hellyer (telephone: (0)3 90 21 42 15) Fax:   (0)3 88 41 27 91       The European Court of Human Rights was set up in 1959 in Strasbourg to deal with alleged violations of the 1950 European Convention on Human Rights.   On 1 November 1998 a permanent Court was established, replacing the original two-tier system of a part-time Court and Commission.   [1] The statistics were compiled on 16 June 1999   [2] Total registered applications 16 June 1999: Albania (2), Andorra (2), Austria (411), Belgium (85), Bulgaria (169), Croatia (75), Cyprus (15), Czech Republic (134), Denmark (49), Estonia (13), Finland (238), France (667), Germany (460), Greece (96), Hungary (114) Iceland (12), Ireland (27), Italy (1472), Latvia (15), Liechtenstein (3), Lithuania (43), Luxembourg (23), Malta (6), Moldova (19), Netherlands (152), Norway (49), Poland (943), Portugal (135), Romania (309), Russian Federation (349), San Marino (13) Slovak Republic (142), Slovenia (73), Spain (201), Sweden (195), Switzerland (167), TFYROMacedonia (7), Turkey (2115), Ukraine (273), United Kingdom (706).   [3] Total provisional applications 16 June 1999: Albania (31), Andorra (3), Austria (877), Belgium (762), Bulgaria (528), Croatia (181), Cyprus (51), Czech Republic (584), Denmark (448), Estonia (66), Finland (399), France (7767), Georgia (7), Germany (4750), Greece (545), Hungary (590) Iceland (21), Ireland (158), Italy (8273), Latvia (71), Liechtenstein (3), Lithuania (167), Luxembourg (78), Malta (16), Moldova (127), Netherlands (682), Norway (144), Poland (5816), Portugal (346), Romania (2070), Russian Federation (2193), San Marino (5) Slovak Republic (396), Slovenia (198), Spain (769), Sweden (993), Switzerland (732), TFYROMacedonia (32), Turkey (760), Ukraine (1126), United Kingdom (4457).   [4] It is not possible to make an application against a country concerning events which happened before the country in question ratified the European Convention on Human Rights.