A former Romanian justice minister called on judges to respect a recent ruling by the European Court of Justice that said judges should refuse to apply Constitutional Court rulings if they violated EU law.
Stelian Ion warned that non-compliance could trigger an infringement procedure.
The European Court ruling however was rebuffed in Romania by the court it referred to.
The Constitutional Court said on Dec. 23 that it could only be applied if Romania’s constitution was modified.
Mr, Ion, a lawmaker of the Save Romania Union, called the Romanian response “not just a snub to the European court, but out-and-out contempt for the country’s future.”
Judge Valer Dorneanu, the president of the Constitutional Court “is merely defending the controversial and politically motivated rulings. Now there can be ignored by Romanian judges,” he said.
The path the former Social Democrat politician now Constitutional Court president has chosen is dangerous for Romania within the European Union.”
“The ruling must be respected, without delay. If legislative corrections aren’t made, an infringement procedure will be triggered,” Mr Ion said.
“The court is outdated and its president Valer Dorneanu shows us he still wears Communist clothes and the old habits he got” from the Social Democrats and their predecessors.
The court has been criticized as „a political tool” which is biased in favor of the Social Democratic Party and discriminates against President Klaus Iohannis and the judiciary.
The EU Court of Justice (CJEU) interprets EU law to make sure it is applied in the same way in all EU countries and settles legal disputes between national governments and EU institutions.
European Court of Justice ruling hailed in Romania as a boost for judicial independence
