Some observations concerning the judicial reform in Romania. Is there no matter more pressing than the fight against corruption?

• Main Author: Ovidiu Gherasim‑Proca
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Facultatea de Stiinte Politice, SNSPA 2014-11-01
• Series: Sfera Politicii
• Subjects: reform of the Judiciary; anti-corruption measures; post-accession conditionality; public service administration
• Online Access: http://www.sferapoliticii.ro/sfera/180-181/art18-Proca.php

Before being an element of constitutional order, the judicial system is a public service. Arbitrating disputes, conflict resolution and prosecuting crimes are, first of all, valuable functions for the community. This article presents the Romanian judiciary especially from this perspective. The relation between politics and the judiciary was particularly problematic in recent years. The judicial institutions’ struggle for autonomy was accompanied by unprecedented political crises. Yet, the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) continuously encouraged institutional reform, initiating very active anti-corruption policies, as well as the implementation of new civil and criminal procedure rules. At the same time, we can notice the rapid increase in the volume of new causes recorded by courts of law in civil matters, which entails the risk of severe deterioration of public legal services and requires an appropriate administrative response.