Romanian President Nicușor Dan and Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan have pledged reforms to the justice system following investigative reports and public protests alleging abuses of power within the judiciary, but concrete steps and timelines remain uncertain.

Dan announced on December 22 that a referendum would be held in January among magistrates to determine whether the Supreme Council of Magistracy operates in the public interest or serves “a group within the judicial system”. He said members of the council would be forced to step down if magistrates reject its legitimacy, without clarifying the legal basis or procedures for such a move.

The announcement followed an ad-hoc meeting between the president and magistrates who have accused the judiciary’s leadership of autocratic practices. The meeting came amid growing scrutiny after investigative journalism platform Recorder published a report on December 9 alleging the existence of an informal power structure within the courts, involving figures in the Supreme Council of Magistracy (CSM) and the High Court (ICCJ), led by its president, Lia Savonea.

The allegations prompted street protests and were reinforced when Judge Raluca Moroșanu publicly confirmed key findings of the investigation during an unannounced statement ahead of a Bucharest Court of Appeal press conference on December 14. Her intervention encouraged other magistrates to sign a protest letter calling for deep reforms of the justice system.

“If the magistrates as a whole say that the CSM acts in the public interest, we will continue the legislative discussions,” Dan said. “But if the majority of the magistrates say that the CSM does not serve the public interest, but the interest of the guild, then the CSM will leave urgently.”

At the same time, the president cautioned that the allegations raised so far have not been legally established. “They are accusations, reports. They are not facts, and we will have to check the reports, which will take a long time,” he said.

Separately, Bolojan announced the creation of the Committee for the Analysis and Revision of Justice Legislation, tasked with proposing amendments to the justice laws aimed at ensuring the impartiality, independence and efficiency of the judiciary in line with constitutional principles and international rule-of-law standards. The decision did not specify a deadline for proposals.

A lawsuit has already been filed seeking the suspension of the government decision establishing the committee, naming the prime minister, the government and the General Secretariat of the Government as defendants.