BALAN AND OTHERS v. SLOVAKIA - 51414/11 (Judgment : Violation of Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 - Protection of property (Article 1 para. 2 of Protocol No. 1 - Control of the use o...)

The European Court of Human Rights (Third Section), sitting as a Committee composed of:

��������� Helen Keller, President, ��������� Pere Pastor Vilanova, ��������� Alena Pol�čkov�, judges, and Fatoş Aracı, Deputy Section Registrar,

The case originated in two applications (nos. 51414/11 and 46098/12) against the Slovak Republic lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (�the Convention�) by sixty-five applicants. The particulars of the applicants and the dates on which the applications were lodged appear in Appendices 1 and 2.

The applicants were represented before the Court by Mr J. Brichta, a lawyer practising in Bratislava. The Government of the Slovak Republic (�the Government�) were represented by their Agent, Ms M. Piro��kov�.

The applicants complained under Article 1 of Protocol No. 1, both taken alone and in conjunction with Article 14 of the Convention, about restrictions that rules governing rent control had imposed on their right to peacefully enjoy their possessions.