Justice Minister Radu Marinescu met on Monday with a delegation of the Council of Europe, context in which the discussions focused on the implementation of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) rulings concerning detention conditions.

According to a Ministry of Justice release sent to AGERPRES on Monday, the high-level meeting took place at the Ministry’s headquarters, with the delegation led by Frederic Dolt, Head of the Department for the Execution of ECHR Judgments.

„The agenda of talks included the status of implementation of the ECHR rulings regarding the detention conditions (the pilot judgment Rezmives and Others v. Romania and the group of cases Bragadireanu),” the release mentioned.

Thus, it was presented the status of implementing national measures in preparation for the examination of these cases within the next meeting of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, in human rights format, which will be held in December.

According to the release, Minister Radu Marinescu mentioned that improving detention conditions in prisons represents a priority of his mandate, with the strategic objective of transforming the penitentiary administration into a „more efficient” system focused on respecting human „dignity” and facilitating the social reintegration of inmates.

„To this end, particular attention is being given to modernising the prison infrastructure, as well as improving the quality of educational and vocational training programmes. In his view, these aspects will strengthen the framework for observing fundamental rights, fully aligned with international standards in the area,” the Ministry of Justice release said.

The Romanian official also presented the progress made by the national authorities in implementing the 2020-2025 Action Plan for executing the pilot judgment Rezmives and Others v. Romania, as well as the rulings in the Bragadireanu group of cases v. Romania, including:

– substantial investments for the modernisation and expansion of prison infrastructure;

– the introduction of new facilities aimed at improving detention conditions, including enhanced standards for medical supervision;

– the adoption of measures to combat recidivism and support social reintegration, primarily based through vocational training and education;

– the introduction of legal remedies to address complaints regarding detention conditions.

„Representatives of the Department for the Execution of Judgments of the ECHR expressed satisfaction with the significant progress Romania has made in recent years in terms of improving the detention conditions and strengthening respect for human rights. These developments reflect sustained institutional commitment and a clear willingness to address longstanding challenges responsibly and effectively. In this context, they encouraged the national authorities to keep up the pace of the reforms already underway, highlighting that consistent efforts are essential to strengthen the progress achieved,” the release mentioned. AGERPRES