Romanian senators seek inquiry into undisclosed PM-Constitutional Court chief meeting amid judicial transparency concerns

A group of Romanian senators from the PACE – Întâi România parliamentary group filed a formal request on Monday to establish a 13-member Senate inquiry commission into a reported undisclosed meeting between Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan and Constitutional Court President Simina Tănăsescu. The request, signed by more than one-third of senators, seeks to examine the circumstances of the meeting, including its date, duration, location, and whether it involved official, political, or private discussions .
The proposed commission would also investigate who initiated the meeting, how access to the Senate president’s office was facilitated, and whether any institutional communications occurred between the government, Parliament, and the Constitutional Court. The panel’s composition would reflect the Senate’s political breakdown: four members from PSD, three from AUR, two each from PNL and USR, and one each from PACE and UDMR .
The Constitutional Court issued a statement on Sunday clarifying that meetings between its president and executive branch representatives address only “aspects related to the good organization, administration, and conduct of the institution’s activities.” It emphasized that no pending cases before the court are discussed outside legal proceedings .
The Judicial Council (CSM) and presidents of Romania’s courts of appeal and tribunals have publicly called for transparency regarding the meeting, which reportedly took place in the Senate president’s office while he was away. The CSM stated that the lack of clarity risks undermining public trust in the judiciary’s impartiality, particularly as the Constitutional Court prepares to rule on challenges to the Integrity Law, including amendments targeting local officials’ mandates and asset declarations for officials’ partners .
Senator Ninel Peia, the initiative’s author, stated that the inquiry is not an attack on any institution or individual but an exercise of the Senate’s constitutional duty to address situations that may erode public confidence. “Independence of institutions is not defended by concealing relationships between their leaders but by clear rules and transparency,” Peia said .
The Constitutional Court is set to discuss on Monday the constitutional challenges to the Integrity Law, which was contested by President Nicușor Dan and a group of 27 USR and PNL senators. The law includes amendments introduced by PSD and AUR, such as provisions on local officials’ incompatibility and asset declarations for partners of dignitaries .
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