Slovenia v. Croatia: The First EU Inter-State Case before the ECtHR

On 15 September 2016 the Government of Slovenia lodged an inter-State application against the Republic of Croatia before the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), related to the claims of Ljubljanska banka towards Croatian companies. Pursuant to Article 33 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR), the Republic of Slovenia informed the Court that the Republic of Croatia had violated the provisions of the Convention when the latter’s judicial and executive authorities systematically undertook actions to unlawfully deny Ljubljanska banka the right to property. For a period of 25 years the bank has not been able to recover its claims from Croatian companies. The application states that this has allowed the debtors of Ljubljanska banka in Croatia to avoid repaying their debt – currently estimated to be 360 million Euro. This amount is very similar to the one Slovenian taxpayers were requested to pay after the Grand Chamber delivered its decision inAlišić two years ago, one of the largest cases in ECtHR’s history considering its massive financial implications for Slovenia’s two million population.