Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan stated on Friday, during a visit to the A3 motorway construction site in Oradea County, that rebuilding citizens’ trust in institutions — particularly in the justice system — is a critical priority for Romania.

„Restoring trust in institutions is a priority, including the fundamental institution that is Romania’s justice system. Because we expect it to deliver services, to dispense justice, to issue correct rulings, to issue rulings within a short timeframe, as this is what fosters trust in society and confidence in the future,” the head of Government said.

Ilie Bolojan emphasised that the judiciary, alongside the political sphere, is among the institutions that have faced a significant decline in public confidence.

„There are two areas belonging to the Romanian state which, in recent years, have seen their credibility diminish among Romanian citizens. One is the political sphere and the other is the judiciary. In all opinion polls, in all surveys that have been carried out, the low level of trust in politics, in institutions, in authorities is clear, including in the act of justice, which is not good. Lengthy trials, cases that reach the statute of limitations, contradictory rulings issued by different courts in identical cases will not increase citizens’ trust, and neither will what has happened in recent days contribute to restoring it,” Bolojan said.

The prime minister noted that the functioning of an efficient justice system rests on two key elements: good laws and people of good faith who apply those laws.

„For a system to function, several basic elements are required. You need good laws, and the people who implement these laws or regulations — whether they are in the justice system or in public administration — the extent to which laws and regulations are applied depends greatly on them. Think, for instance, of public administration, where, even with laws that have not always been very good, we have had high-performing administrations, high-performing mayors, county council presidents, ministers who have done a good job, whereas with good laws we have, in many areas, had people who have not performed. So good laws and people of good faith who put those laws into practice are required, otherwise a good tool, a good law, can be used well or poorly,” he argued.

The prime minister also announced that the Government has decided to establish a working group to review legislation in the field of justice, in cooperation with system experts, magistrates, and representatives of the Ministry of Justice.

„What must be done is, on the one hand, that those who hold responsibility within the justice system — to whom the political sphere has effectively delegated the competence to intervene and correct — must carry out their duties, and all the matters that have come into discussion, which, at least in the way they have been presented, appear serious, should be verified so that any problems can be identified. On the other hand, we need to conduct an analysis of the legislation so that, after a period of time working under legislation that was accepted at the time and fully validated, we can see to what extent this legislation reflects realities. Issues related to the statute of limitations must be addressed in an appropriate manner, the length of legal proceedings must be reduced, matters concerning delegations or interventions that may prolong certain cases must be clearly regulated, as well as any other aspect that allows a system such as the justice system to function better. At the end of this week’s Government meeting, we agreed to set up a working group to analyse these legislative matters, so that, in cooperation with system professionals, magistrates’ associations and experts from the Ministry of Justice, we can determine whether proposals should be submitted to improve the legislation,” Ilie Bolojan explained.

The prime minister acknowledged that certain reforms cannot be achieved solely from within systems, and that balancing mechanisms and coordinated interventions are required.

„In the years in which I have held public office, I have worked with systems that had serious problems. It has never been possible to correct those problems exclusively from within. A form of balance, of intervention, has always been needed in order to set things right,” the head of the Executive concluded. AGERPRES