Following the statement published by the ENCJ Executive Board on 15 November 2024, expressing concerns over Romania’s IT governance reform in the judiciary, and in the absence of any meaningful improvement since then, the Board has sent a letter to the Ministry of Justice reiterating its position and encouraging the Ministry to involve the judiciary, through the Judicial Council, in the IT reform process.

The ENCJ Executive Board wishes to underline that in the context of the considerations previously expressed, the protection of judicial independence requires appropriate safeguards in relation to access to judicial data and its management.

In this context, the Board maintains that the Judicial Council should have decision-making authority both in managing the judiciary’s databases and in overseeing the applications used within the judiciary, as this is essential to preventing any negative effects on judicial independence.

Please click here to access the full text of the letter. 

On 15 November 2024, the ENCJ Executive Board published a statement expressing concerns over Romania's IT governance reform in the judiciary, which aims to centralize the hosting and administration of judicial databases under the Ministry of Justice.

The Board stresses that Councils for the Judiciary should have a decision-making power both in terms of the management of the databases of the judiciary, as well as on the applications that are used within the judiciary. The Board emphasises that IT reform processes in the judiciary should be carried out with the consent of the Councils for the Judiciary, when within their mandate and in line with their role as guarantors of the independence of the judiciary.

Please click here to access the full text of the statement.