Constitution changes: Romania’s flag to include the country’s coat of arms, regions introduced as administrative units

The Commission for revising the Constitution passed on Tuesday (June 4) an amendment forwarded by Social Democrat (PSD) deputy Gheorghe Emacu, stipulating that Romania’s coat of arms should appear on the country’s national flag. According to this amendment, “Romania is to have a tricolor flag with the coat of arms on the yellow background; the colors are to be arranged vertically, in the following order from the flagpole: blue, yellow, red.” In the current form, Romania’s Constitution says that: “Romania is to have a tricolor flag; the colors are to be arranged vertically, in the following order from the flagpole: blue, yellow, red.” The Commission for revising the Constitution also agreed on another amendment proposed by the PSD, through which the concept of regions is to be enshrined in the text of the Constitution: “The territory is organized, administratively, into communes, cities, counties and regions. Under the law, some cities are declared municipalities.” According to the local media, other amendments proposed for Romania’s division into regions were rejected. Moreover, the commission tasked with revising the Constitution rejected all amendments proposing that the national day be on May 10. Romania’s national day is celebrated on December 1, the day that marks Romania’s unionfication, in 1918. The new Constitution has to be passed by the Romanian Parliament after which a referendum to ratify the changes will also be organized, sometime later this year. Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com