European Commission underlines improvements and shortcomings in Romania in new Rule of Law Report

Romania has taken steps in line with the Venice Commission's recommendations in order to improve its justice system, according to the sixth Rule of Law Report published by the European Commission on Tuesday, July 8. Nevertheless, there is still room for improvement.

In the report, the EU executive notes that Romania has progressed when it comes to the implementation of the recommendations issued by the Venice Commission on the Justice Laws, which addressed concerns for the independence, quality, and efficiency of the justice system.

“The transparency of case law on disciplinary sanctions has improved, due to awareness-raising efforts. The Ministry of Justice showed openness to adapt its reform of IT systems in courts to ensure that judicial independence is guaranteed,” the report notes.

It also highlights that further efforts were made to ensure adequate human resources for the justice system, including new recruitments, despite budgetary restrictions.

Moreover, several initiatives have been taken to facilitate access to legal aid, and the length of proceedings has increased compared to previous years. This is complemented by advances in public consultations, despite several shortcomings.

Still on the plus side, the implementation of the 2021-2025 Anti-Corruption Strategy remains on track, and a new Strategy is under preparation, building on the ex-post evaluation of the current strategy. Authorities maintain a positive track record in combating corruption, including as regards high-level corruption cases.

“However, following rulings on the statute of limitations, national courts have closed many corruption cases and annulled convictions. There have been further steps taken concerning the system for investigating and prosecuting criminal offenses in the judiciary,” the report mentions.

The Commission is also aware that the Romanian Constitutional Court recently initiated a review of what it deemed to be a much too strict asset declaration system. Moreover, it says that there have been “no steps” taken to enhance the independent governance and editorial independence of public service media.”

“The financing of private media by political parties and state authorities has led to an increase in non-transparent political advertising. While the National Audiovisual Council would benefit from more human resources and a long-awaited new IT system, information on media ownership beyond the audiovisual sector is still insufficient,” the report notes.