European Commission 17 July 2026, COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 2026 Rule of Law Report Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Romania Accompanying the document Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions 2026 Rule of Law Report The rule of law situation in the European Union

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This Commission Staff Working Document constitutes the 2026 Rule of Law Report country chapter on Romania, assessing the rule of law situation across four pillars: justice system independence and efficiency, anti-corruption framework, media pluralism and freedom, and checks and balances. The Commission identifies persistent structural concerns including the suspension of legislative work to strengthen safeguards for high-ranking prosecutors and judicial police, continued closure of corruption cases due to statute of limitations rulings by the High Court of Cassation and Justice (Înalta Curte de Casație și Justiție), and increasing restrictions on civil society organisations. The Commission issues six recommendations, including advancing evaluation of the Justice Laws, stepping up legislative work on prosecutorial independence, ensuring effective investigation of corruption offences in the judiciary, completing the asset declaration legislative process, reducing the use of government emergency ordinances (ordonanțe de urgență ale guvernului), and progressing accreditation of National Human Rights Institutions in conformity with the UN Paris Principles.AI