(Bloomberg) — Romanian Justice Minister Catalin Predoiu plans to push forward reforms to the country’s justice system after the country came under more intense criticism from the European Union this month for its lack of progress.
Predoiu will seek government and parliamentary approval for changes under Romania’s judiciary surveillance mechanism next month and affirm the country’s respect for rulings of the European Court of Justice, he said in a phone interview.
“I hope to have the laws ready for the government’s approval in mid-February, after public debate,” Predoiu said, adding that it’ll need the approval of the independent council overseeing Romania’s judiciary.
European Union Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders has criticized Romania for stalling on judiciary reforms and insufficient commitment to the primacy of EU law. The EU official told the Financial Times this month that while Romania declared its respect for ECJ decisions, it didn’t back the supremacy of EU law without conditions. He said he was considering legal action against Bucharest.
As part of its overhaul of the judiciary, Romania needs to dismantle a controversial body that investigates magistrates and change the criminal code.
The reforms are aimed at helping Romania exit an EU surveillance mechanism that’s been in place since the country’s accession in 2007, enabling to join the bloc’s Schengen area the enables visa-free travel.
Romania’s new coalition under Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca has pledged to move forward on efforts to lift the mechanism. His government includes the Social Democrats, a party that previously came under fire for setting up a controversial body to investigate magistrates.
At the same time, the opposition USR party criticized the planned changes, saying they would undermine the fight against corruption by not allowing the anti-graft agency to have a role in investigating cases involving magistrates.
EU Legal Fights
Reynders said he had a “good” virtual meeting with Predoiu. The two discussed Romania’s reform progress and “challenges” on EU law, the commissioner said in a statement on Twitter on Friday.
The EU has been embroiled in a more intense legal fight with Poland. The European Commission, the 27-member bloc’s executive arm, has said Poland’s top court lacks impartiality. The Constitutional Court in Warsaw ruled in October that some EU laws are incompatible with the country’s constitution, a direct attack on the supremacy of EU law.
The Polish government under Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has rejected accusations about court independence and questioned the scope of the EU’s judicial competence.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government has also asked his country’s constitutional court to review an EU court ruling related to migration.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2022 Bloomberg L.P.
