PROCEDURE

The case originated in an application (no. 33379/96) against the Federal Republic of Germany lodged with the European Commission of Human Rights (“the Commission”) under former Article 25 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the Convention”) by a German national, Mr Edgar Klein (“the applicant”), on 9 January 1996.

The applicant was represented by Mr Hanau, director of the research institute for social law at the University of Köln (Germany). The German Government (“the Government”) were represented by their Agent, Mr Klaus Stoltenberg, Ministerialdirigent, of the Federal Ministry of Justice.

The applicant alleged that the length of the civil proceedings were in breach of the “reasonable time” requirement laid down in Article 6 § 1 of the Convention.

On 14 January 1998 the Commission decided to communicate the applicant’s complaint concerning the length of the civil proceedings and to declare the remainder of the application inadmissible.

The applicant’s complaint concerning the length of the civil proceedings was transmitted to the Court on 1 November 1998, when Protocol No. 11 to the Convention came into force (Article 5 § 2 of Protocol No. 11).

It was allocated to the Fourth Section of the Court (Rule 52 § 1 of the Rules of Court). Within that Section, the Chamber that would consider the case (Article 27 § 1 of the Convention) was constituted as provided in Rule 26 § 1 of the Rules of Court.

By a decision of 9 December 1999 the Chamber declared the applicant’s complaint concerning the length of the civil proceedings admissible.

The applicant and the Government each filed observations on the merits (Rule 59 § 1).

THE FACTS

I. THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE CASE

The applicant, born in 1926, is a German national and residing in Bad Neuenahr.

On 6 December 1985 the Rhineland Westphalia electricity-supply company instituted proceedings before the Moers District Court (Amtsgericht) against the applicant claiming outstanding payments for electricity.

On 28 April 1986 the District Court ordered the applicant to pay a sum of about 141 Deutsch Mark (DEM) as well as interest to the plaintiff. The Court found that the applicant had reduced the sums due following the annual statements of account, challenging the mode of calculation as well as the coal-mining contribution, a contribution earmarked as a subsidy for the national coal-mining industry (Kohlepfennig). The Court considered that both the mode of calculation and the contribution could not be objected to from a constitutional point of view.

On 8 June 1986 the applicant lodged a constitutional complaint with the Federal Constitutional Court (Bundesverfassungsgericht).

On 11 October 1994, after a series of hearings and after having received the observations of the Federal Government, the Government of Bavaria and the association of the German coal-mining industry (Gesamtverband des deutschen Steinkohlebergbaus), the Second Division (Senat) of the Federal Constitutional Court rendered a decision (of about 30 pages) upon the applicant's constitutional complaint. The Second Division declared that the relevant parts of the Act on the Use of EC Coal in the Electricity Supply (Gesetz über die weitere Sicherung des Einsatzes von Gemeinschaftskohle in der Elektrizitätswirtschaft), which were underlying the coal-mining contribution in question, were unconstitutional as the coal-mining contribution amounted to an inadmissible special levy (Sonderabgabe). The Federal Constitutional Court quashed the District Court's decision of April 1986 in as much as the payment of the contribution was concerned and sent the case back to that court. It further ordered that the legislation in question, to the extent that it was unconstitutional, should not be applied beyond 31 December 1995. The Constitutional Court did not entertain the applicant's complaint about the mode of calculation on the ground that the relevant regulations had changed meanwhile.

On 15 February 1995, in the resumed proceedings, the Moers District Court ordered the applicant to pay a sum of about 80 DEM as well as interest to the plaintiff. It found that, pursuant to the above legislation which continued to be in force until 31 December 1995, the applicant had to pay the above sum representing the coal-mining contribution.

On 22 August 1995 the Federal Constitutional Court refused a constitutional complaint by the applicant lodged on 24 May 1995. The applicant received the decision on 2 September 1995.