Romanian Justice Min Tries To Keep As Many Bonuses As Possible For Magistrates In Unitary Pay Law

Predoiu reminded that the Justice Ministry is open to dialogue as always, adding that the payment of salary rights magistrates won in court depends on the money available in the budget.

The minister added he informed the ruling coalition on the activity of the ministry and the country report on the justice system, which the European Commission is to release on Wednesday, July 22.

Predoiu declined to comment on the EC’s upcoming report, but said he does not share the opinion of minister for the relation with Parliament, Victor Ponta, who said before the coalition meeting that the report on Romania’s justice system is "null and void" and represents nothing for the country’s legal system.

"The Commission’s upcoming report on the justice system has nothing to do with Romania. I said that even in February. Several EC clerks sit comfortably at their desks and keep writing about all sorts of things, whereas we are the ones actually living in Romania and we do know how things stand in the Romanian justice system. You will all read the report and think it speaks about other country. The report is null and void and it represents nothing for Romania’s legal system. Romanian authorities are focused on concrete issues only," Ponta said.

According to a draft of the Commission’s report, leaked by official sources, the Commission appreciates the adoption of Romania’s new Civil Code and Criminal Code. According to the draft report, the adoption of the Criminal and Civil Codes in June represents "a true political commitment and a major step towards a more efficient legal system." 

The draft report says, however, the two codes are expected to come into effect along with their procedure codes in 2011 "after being debated and approved in a normal parliamentary procedure."

On July 17, Romanian President Traian Basescu signed the decrees promulgating the country’s new Civil Code and Criminal Code.

The Romanian government assumed responsibility in Parliament for the Criminal and Civil Codes on June 22.

However, the Civil Procedure Code and the Criminal Procedure Code are still pending debates in Parliament after lawmakers decided in the plenary meeting on June 22, to extend the mandate of the special committee analyzing the legal codes until September 15 this year.