East European Yearbook on Human Rights

Article

Reasoning in Domestic Judgments in New Democracies

A View from Strasbourg

Keywords European Court of Human Rights, Article 6, new democracies, reasoning in domestic judgments
Authors Dragoljub Popović
DOI
Author's information

Dragoljub Popović
Former judge of the ECtHR, attorney-at-law at the Belgrade Bar, professor of law at Union University (Belgrade, Serbia) and a visiting professor at Creighton University (Omaha, NE, USA).
  • Abstract

      One of the shortcomings in the functioning of the justice systems in new democracies consists of insufficient reasoning in judgments. The European Court of Human Rights (Court) had to deal with the issue in cases in which applicants invoked Article 6 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (Convention). The Court’s case law developments concerning the issue are analysed in this article. The general rule emerged in leading cases and was subsequently followed. It says there is an obligation incumbent on national courts to provide reasons for their judgments. Therefore, insufficient reasoning in a judgment given at the domestic level of jurisdiction provides grounds for finding a violation of Article 6 of the Convention. The problem of lack of adequate reasoning in domestic judgments has been given attention among scholars, judges and practising lawyers in new democracies. The Court’s jurisprudence provides guidance to solutions aimed at improvement of the administration of justice in those countries, which are Member States of the Convention.

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