Guide on Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights Right to a fair trial (civil limb) Updated to 30 April 2021 Prepared by the Registry. It does not bind the Court. Guide on Article 6 of the Convention – Right to a fair trial (civil limb) Publishers or organisations wishing to translate and/or reproduce all or part of this report in the form of a printed or electronic publication are invited to contact [email protected] for information on the authorisation procedure. If you wish to know which translations of the Case-Law Guides are currently under way, please see Pending translations. This Guide was originally drafted in French. It is updated regularly, and most recently on 30 April 2021. It may be subject to editorial revision. The Case-Law Guides are available for downloading at www.echr.coe.int (Case-law – Case-law analysis – Case- law guides). For publication updates please follow the Court’s Twitter account at https://twitter.com/ECHR_CEDH. © Council of Europe/European Court of Human Rights, 2021 European Court of Human Rights 2/115 Last update: 30.04.2021 Guide on Article 6 of the Convention – Right to a fair trial (civil limb) Table of contents Note to readers .............................................................................................. 6 I. Scope: the concept of “civil rights and obligations” ................................... 7 A. General requirements for applicability of Article 6 § 1 .............................................................. 7 1. “Genuine and serious” “dispute” with a decisive outcome ................................................. 8 2. Existence of an arguable right or obligation in domestic law ............................................... 9 3. “Civil” nature of the right or obligation .............................................................................. 13 B. Extension to other types of dispute .......................................................................................... 14 C. Applicability of Article 6 to proceedings other than main proceedings ................................... 19 D. Excluded matters ...................................................................................................................... 21 E. Links with other provisions of the Convention ......................................................................... 23 1. Article 2 (right to life) .......................................................................................................... 23 2. Article 5 (right to liberty) .................................................................................................... 23 3. Article 6 § 1 (fair criminal trial) ........................................................................................... 23 4. Article 6 § 2 (presumption of innocence) ........................................................................... 24 5. Article 8 (private life) .......................................................................................................... 24 6. Article 10 (freedom of expression) ..................................................................................... 24 7. Other Articles ...................................................................................................................... 25 II. Right to a court ...................................................................................... 25 A. Right and access to a court ....................................................................................................... 25 1. A right that is practical and effective .................................................................................. 26 2. Limitations .......................................................................................................................... 32 B. Waiver ....................................................................................................................................... 36 1. Principle .............................................................................................................................. 36 2. Conditions ........................................................................................................................... 36 C. Legal aid .................................................................................................................................... 37 1. Granting of legal aid ............................................................................................................ 37 2. Effectiveness of the legal aid granted ................................................................................. 38 III. Institutional requirements .................................................................... 39 A. Concept of a “tribunal” ............................................................................................................. 39 1. Autonomous concept .......................................................................................................... 39 2. Level of jurisdiction ............................................................................................................. 41 3. Review by a court having full jurisdiction ........................................................................... 42 4. Execution of judgments ...................................................................................................... 46 a. Right to prompt implementation of a final and binding judicial decision .................... 46 b. Right not to have a final judicial decision called into question .................................... 49 c. Mutual recognition and execution of judgments delivered by foreign courts or elsewhere in the European Union ................................................................................ 50 B. Establishment by law ................................................................................................................ 51 European Court of Human Rights 3/115 Last update: 30.04.2021 Guide on Article 6 of the Convention – Right to a fair trial (civil limb) 1. Principles ............................................................................................................................. 51 2. Application of these principles ........................................................................................... 52 C. Independence and impartiality ................................................................................................. 53 1. General considerations ....................................................................................................... 53 2. An independent tribunal ..................................................................................................... 54 a. Independence vis-à-vis the executive ........................................................................... 55 b. Independence vis-à-vis Parliament ............................................................................... 55 c. Independence vis-à-vis the parties ............................................................................... 56 d. Specific case of judges’ independence vis-à-vis the High Council of the Judiciary ...... 56 e. Criteria for assessing independence ............................................................................. 56 i. Manner of appointment of a body’s members ....................................................... 56 ii. Duration of appointment of a body’s members ..................................................... 56 iii. Guarantees against outside pressure .................................................................... 57 iv. Appearance of independence ................................................................................ 57 3. An impartial tribunal ........................................................................................................... 57 a. Criteria for assessing impartiality ................................................................................. 58 i. Subjective approach ................................................................................................ 58 ii. Objective approach ................................................................................................. 59 b. Situations in which the question of a lack of judicial impartiality may arise ............... 60 i. Situations of a functional nature ............................................................................. 60 The exercise of both advisory and judicial functions in the same case ............. 60 The exercise of both judicial and extra-judicial functions in the same case...... 60 The exercise of different judicial functions ........................................................ 61 ii. Situations of a personal nature .............................................................................. 63 IV. Procedural requirements ...................................................................... 64 A. Fairness ..................................................................................................................................... 64 1. General principles ............................................................................................................... 64 2. Scope ................................................................................................................................... 66 a. Principles ......................................................................................................................