Declaring a person incapacitated and appointing a guardian: Standards of procedural fairness in the ECHR judgement

The study aimed to identify and systematise the main standards of procedural fairness developed in the case law of the European Court of Human Rights concerning the procedures for limitation of legal capacity and guardianship, with a subsequent analysis of the peculiarities of their implementation in the national legal systems of European States. The study was conducted using a comprehensive methodological approach that combined a systematic method for analysing the interrelationships between the elements of procedural justice, a comparative legal method for comparing the approaches of different European legal systems, a case law analysis method for systematising key decisions, and a structural and functional analysis for studying the functioning of guardianship models. As a result of the systematisation of case law, five fundamental standards of procedural fairness were identified: the obligation to ensure personal participation or proper representation of a person in court proceedings, the application of an individual approach to the assessment of legal capacity and ensuring the proportionality of restriction measures, guaranteeing periodic review of decisions on the restriction of legal capacity, taking into account the will and preferences of the person in decision-making, and ensuring independent legal assistance. A comparative analysis of the implementation of the standards in the three countries under study revealed significant differences: the progressive Betreuung system in Germany with support without deprivation of rights, the decision-making support system in Finland without transfer of rights and the limited compliance of Ukrainian legislation with European requirements due to the lack of mandatory personal participation of a person in court hearings and mechanisms for periodic review of decisions. The practical significance of the study is determined by the creation of a methodological framework for assessing the effectiveness of national legal systems and developing practical recommendations for legislative reforms in the field of guardianship and incapacity. The findings of the study can be used by judicial authorities, legislators and human rights organisations to improve procedural safeguards and transition from traditional models of full guardianship to modern decision-making support mechanisms that respect the principles of human dignity and autonomy of persons with disabilities