Romania's ruling party considers emergency ordinance for changes to justice laws

The Romanian Parliament’s special committee in charge with changing the justice laws will hold new talks with MPs, institution representatives and magistrate associations to change the recently adopted justice laws in accordance with the recommendations of the Venice Commission, according to the committee’s president Florin Iordache. He added that these changes can be included in an emergency ordinance, local News.ro reported. The special committee led by Iordache made several important changes to three important laws for the functioning of the local justice system, which were passed by the Parliament at the end of last year. Some of the provisions in these laws had to be changed this year, after the Constitutional Court found them unconstitutional. However, the most important changes remained in the laws. President Klaus Iohannis challenged the three laws at the Constitutional Court once again, but the court didn’t find anything else wrong with them. The president also asked for an opinion from the Venice Commission on the three laws, after the Government and Parliament refused to consult the Commission. The Venice Commission sent an expert delegation to Romania in June and issued a preliminary opinion in July, warning that the adopted reform would “likely undermine” the independence of Romanian judges and prosecutors – and public confidence in the judiciary. The Commission raised particular concerns over the appointment and dismissal procedures for chief prosecutors, limitation of freedom of expression of magistrates and new provisions dealing with the magistrates’ liability, the new Section for investigating offences of magistrates, as well as arrangements that would weaken the role of the Superior Council of Magistracy (SCM), as the guarantor of judiciary independence. Venice Commission warns on justice reform effects in Romania Romanian magistrates protest over justice laws changes editor@romania-insider.com