Romania’s Ombudsman Renate Weber has referred to the Constitutional Court the emergency government ordinance that rationalises the personnel expenditures in the public administration, according to Economica.net. The bill is part of the second package of six budgetary measures and a key element of the 2026 budget plan.
Ombudsman Weber cited breaches of a series of principles, including the principle of regulatory predictability and that of legitimate trust in the legislative system. She also invoked the principle of equality of rights (among citizens), the right to private property, social protection of citizens, protection of persons with disabilities, and restriction of the exercise of certain rights and freedoms.
The emergency ordinance came into force at the time it was published in the Official Gazette, but according to the procedures, it is turned into law by a vote in Parliament – where the lawmakers can amend it or refer it to the Constitutional Court. However, the Ombudsman is the only institution authorised to refer emergency ordinances to the Constitutional Court. The ordinance is not suspended during the Constitutional Court’s review.
Renate Weber has served as Ombudsman since July 2019. A former member of the European Parliament representing the National Liberal Party (PNL), she has remained in office beyond the standard five-year mandate due to political disagreements among parties over the appointment of a successor, effectively serving as interim head of the institution for the past two years.
Weber is expected to leave office on March 10, when Parliament is scheduled to vote in a joint session of its two chambers to appoint a new leadership of the institution. The Save Romania Union (USR) has nominated Roxana Rizoiu, a former Romanian government agent at the European Court of Human Rights and a trainer at the National Institute of Magistracy, as a candidate for the position.
A lawyer by profession, Weber entered civil society in the early 1990s and previously headed the Soros Foundation in Romania. After the 2004 elections, she briefly served as presidential adviser on constitutional and legislative affairs to former president Traian Băsescu before becoming a member of the European Parliament between 2009 and 2019.
iulian@romania-insider.com
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