Article 47 - Right to an effective remedy and to a fair trial
Key facts of the case:
A Royal Decree of 30 January 2014 changed the costs of joint petitions to the Council of State. Whereas petitioners previously only had to pay one fee, the Royal Decree put down that each petitioner had to pay the fee. In their second plea, the requesting parties allege violation of the right of access to a judge and the right to an effective remedy before a tribunal. The requesting parties invoked Articles 23, 144, 145, 160 and 161 of the Constitution, Articles 6 and 13 of the European Convention on Human Rights, Article 47 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Article 9 of the Aarhus Convention, Article 9 and 11 of Directive 2011/92 on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment.
Outcome of the case:
The Council of States considered that the cumulative fee does not constitute a prohibitive cost, because the Council of State can reduce the fee for persons in need. Therefore, there is no violation of the right of access to a judge.
16. The right of access to a judge constitutes a general principle of law that must be guaranteed to everyone with due respect for Articles 10, 11 and 13 of the Constitution, Articles 6 and 13 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Article 47 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. It constitutes an essential aspect of the right to a fair trial and it is fundamental in a State subject to the rule of law. However, the right of access to a judge is not absolute and can be subject to restrictions. Those restrictions must be reasonably proportionate to the legitimate goal pursued and cannot prevent the litigant from seeing the essence of his dispute resolved by the competent jurisdiction.
16. Le droit d’accès au juge constitue un principe général de droit qui doit être garanti à chacun dans le respect des articles 10 et 11 de la Constitution, des articles 6 et 13 de la Convention européenne des droits de l’homme et de l’article 47 de la Charte des droits fondamentaux de l’Union européenne. Il constitue un aspect essentiel du droit à un procès équitable et est fondamental dans un État de droit. Le droit d’accès au juge n’est cependant pas absolu et peut être soumis à des restrictions. Ces restrictions doivent être raisonnablement proportionnées au but légitime qu’elles poursuivent et ne peuvent empêcher le justiciable de voir la substance de son litige tranchée par la juridiction compétente.
