Croatian Constitutional Court awards Vrbat couple 2,040 euros for slow trial

The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Croatia has upheld a constitutional complaint and awarded Zoran Vrbat and Sunčana Vrbat, both of Zagreb, a total of 2,040 euros in compensation for the violation of their right to a trial within a reasonable time. The decision, numbered U-IIIA-273/2026 and adopted on 14 July 2026, was published in Narodne novine no. 92 of 21 August 2026 (article 1138).

The couple had been waiting for a ruling in a civil dispute over the delivery of real estate into possession that has been pending before the Municipal Civil Court in Zagreb (case Ps-169/2021) since 12 October 2021. At the time of the Court’s decision the proceedings had lasted four years, nine months and two days without a final judgment.

The award and its legal basis

The Court found that the applicants’ right to have their rights and obligations decided within a reasonable time, guaranteed by Article 29(1) of the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia and Article 6(1) of the European Convention on Human Rights, had been violated. The compensation is payable from the state budget within three months of a request submitted to the Ministry of Justice, Administration and Digital Transformation.

• Zoran Vrbat, Sermageova 8, Zagreb — 1,020.00 euros
• Sunčana Vrbat, Sermageova 8, Zagreb — 1,020.00 euros

The decision was adopted by a panel chaired by President Frane Staničić, with judges Andrej Abramović, Sanja Bezbradica Jelavić, Dražen Bošnjaković, Ante Galić, Biljana Kostadinov, Lovorka Kušan, Maša Marochini Zrinski, Rajko Mlinarić and Miroslav Šumanović.

A long procedural path

The applicants first sought protection through the ordinary remedy. By decision Su-Gzp-166/2024-7 of 23 December 2024, the County Court in Zagreb rejected their request for protection of the right to a trial within a reasonable time. On appeal, the Supreme Court (decision Gžzp-39/2025-4 of 3 December 2025) partially accepted the appeal, setting the Municipal Civil Court a twelve-month deadline to conclude the case, but it did not award compensation.

The applicants then filed a constitutional complaint on 19 January 2026. The Constitutional Court noted that the first-instance court had not acted diligently, holding the preparatory hearing more than a year after the suit was filed and the next hearing only after a further year and a half. It also found that the applicants themselves had not contributed to the length of the proceedings.

Why it matters

The ruling confirms that the Constitutional Court will step in and award compensation when the ordinary courts set deadlines but fail to grant the monetary redress the law requires. For litigants facing years-long civil proceedings, the decision underscores that the right to a trial within a reasonable time is enforceable and carries a financial remedy paid from the state budget.

Source: Narodne novine, no. 92, 21 August 2026, section I (official reference: U-IIIA-273/2026).