On 08.11.2013 in its issue 45/2013 the Austrian magazine FORMAT on p.65 published a short note “The Expensive Justice as a Local Disadvantage”. The author points that Vienna is losing the competition with Berlin as a preferred forum for court settlement of disputes since the Austrian court fees are 1,2% on the claim amount. This is considerably higher than the German court fees and one of the highest in Europe because they have no top limit.
I laughed through tears at these Austrian complaints and checked the court fees in some of the big EU states. The conclusion is:
Austria…………………1.2% on the claim amount with no top limit.
Germany………………..claims over E 500 000………………3/1000.
Italy………………………claims over E 520 000…………….…E 1466.
France……………………a fixed court fee for any claims……..E 185.
Great Britain…………claims over 300 000 pounds……..1686 pounds
IN BULGARIA THE SAME COURT FEES ARE 4% (FOUR PER CENT) ON THE CLAIMED AMOUNT WITH NO TOP LIMIT!
I.e. for a similar claim amount of E 500 000.- the court fees will be E 20 000. For a claim amount of E 1 000 000- the court fees will be E 40 000.- and the sky is the limit. This is the case since 1950 till today.
The poorest country in the EU, Bulgaria, has the most expensive and inaccessible justice whose quality is beyond the average.
If you try to impose the Bulgarian court fees in the above EU states the street will light with protest fire.
Bulgaria buys the most expensive natural gas in Europe and it is four times the price the US consumer pays.
Bulgaria was made “happy” with the biggest number of Syrian refugees- over 10 000. In Austria they are 500 and in Germany- 5000.
In his famous treatise De Officiis Mark Tullius Cicero (I-23) states the following:
There are two kinds of injustice- the one, on the part of those who inflict wrong, the other on the part of those who, when they can, do not shield from wrong those upon whom it is being inflicted…For he who does not prevent or oppose wrong, if he can, is just as guilty of wrong as if he deserted his parents or his friends or his country.
November 2013 Valentin Braykov