site.btaRomanian President Hopes for Political Will to Fix Problems with Judicial System

During his official visit to Helsinki on Monday, where he is attending a summit on NATO's eastern flank, Romanian President Nicusor Dan expressed hope that "insufficient mechanisms" in the judicial system will be identified and that there will be political will to correct them, after he meets with the country's magistrates in Bucharest on December 22. As reported by Digi24, Dan told reporters that 800 to 900 magistrates have been warning about a serious problem with the judicial system.

The head of State continued: "What is its solution? First of all, things need to be structured and proven, because that is also important. In the debates that we will have in [Bucharest at the presidential palace] Cotroceni, all opinions will be accepted." He said that the most common problems should be identified such as those related to the judicial inspectorate or the procedure for appointing court presidents.

Last week, after Recorder.ro released the documentary Justitie capturata [Justice captured] about corruption in the judicial system, which sparked a wave of street protests across Romania, Dan called on all magistrates to write to him directly about the problems they face and invited them to a meeting in Cotroceni.

The wave of discontent in Romania continues. On Wednesday night, protesters plan to gather in Bucharest's Victory Square with giant banners referring to the Prime Minister that read: "Bolojan, Romania is calling you."

The protest organizers said: "Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan handed over the judicial reform to a 'working group'. This means further delays and more silence. But Romania is not silent, and it does not forget. We will hold the banners with our hands, shoulder to shoulder, and light up the square with our phones. We will turn Victory Square into a giant outcry that Bolojan can no longer ignore. We demand urgent changes to the justice laws. No delays, no excuses."