BUCHAREST Parliament opened debate on a court administration reform package that lawmakers have postponed since 2024, amid renewed pressure from magistrates’ associations and EU rule-of-law monitoring reports.
The draft law would publish criteria for senior appointments, extend random case allocation pilots nationwide, and require annual disclosure of court backlog statistics by jurisdiction. Justice ministry officials said the measures aim to rebuild public trust without altering constitutional guarantees of judicial independence.
Opposition amendments seek stronger whistle-blower protections for clerks who report procedural irregularities. Governing deputies countered that existing civil service rules already cover retaliation claims, but agreed to study additional safeguards in committee.
Legal NGOs welcomed transparency provisions while warning that funding for court IT systems must rise in parallel; otherwise, digital allocation tools could fail in smaller counties. Debates continue before a plenary vote expected later this month.