Romanian Lower Chamber Adopts Civil Procedure Code, Criminal Procedure Code

The draft Civil Procedure Code was adopted with 213 votes for and one abstention. The Criminal Procedure Code was adopted with 212 votes for, one vote against and three abstentions.

The bills were debated Tuesday and the deputies decided to vote on them article-by-article the same day.

The Chamber adopted several amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code, proposed by UDMR deputy Marton Arpad.

With regard to the Civil Procedure Code, all parliamentary group representatives said the current version of the draft, drawn up by a special parliamentary committee, is „the product of teamwork.” According to democrat liberal deputy Daniel Buda, chairman of the special committee, the new Code „will be a point of reference on Romania’s political scene.”

The two bills now need to be adopted in Senate before they become law.

Romania’s President Traian Basescu sent a letter Monday to the presidents of the two chambers of the country’s Parliament, renewing his demand that the Civil and Criminal Procedure Codes be adopted before the beginning of summer recess.

On June 9, the two chambers of Parliament adopted a decision whereby Parliament committees have until June 18 to submit reports on the Civil Procedure Code and the Criminal Procedure Code, thus changing the deadline previously set for June 15.