Romania comes second after Russia in terms of the number of citizens' complaints to the ECHR (European Court of Human Rights). Last year the ECHR judges sentenced the Romanian government in 73 cases. As for 2007, 43 cases emerging from Romanians' complaints were already settled. In the late 2006, the state's representative to the ECHR in Strasbourg was warning that the end of 2007 might prove overwhelming in sentences favorable to the former owners who had failed to get back their properties, after the latter had been confiscated by the ruling Communists. 89, 887 complaints reached the ECHR last year. 22% (19,000) of them concern breaks committed by the Russian authorities, 12% (10,800) are on Romania and 10% (9,000) regard Turkey. In 2006 the Court registered 4,583 complaints coming from Romanians, out of which the judges admitted 287. The Bucharest government was asked for points of view on the letter cases. In the end 53 cases were declared admissible (after selection) and 2,323 were dismissed. 4,5 million Euro damages In the 13 years elapsed after having signed the European Human Rights Convention, the Bucharest government paid over 4,5 million Euro damages to those Romanians whose rights had been harmed and who had complained to Strasbourg about it. Starting with August 1, the Governmental Agent (the state's representative to the ECHR) has got a different chief: Razvan Horatiu Radu. (...) Experience Exchange The new governmental agent has recently mentioned in an interview some of his priorities: a diminishment of ECHR sentences against Romania, more amiable agreements with Romanians who complain to the ECHR and remedies for legislative flaws in the field. (...) Razvan Horatiu Radu also claims he intends to invite ECHR judges to Romania for meetings with Romanian magistrates: "We are already working to invite several ECHR judges to Romania, those handling Romanian cases, so that they can have more meetings with Romanian magistrates and even with future magistrates. We will be honored to learn a different manner to get less sentences from Strasbourg. We are going to bring other Court officials to Romania too and arrange for them meetings with Romanian decision making officials so that they can talk about efficient application of the ECHR sentences." (...) Oana ROTARU