The Standing Commission of U.N.B.R., meeting online on June 20, expresses its deep concern at the announcement of several courts in the country regarding the indefinite suspension of judicial activity and considers that the problems mentioned as a cause of this approach can be solved only through an open dialogue, at institutional level, between the factors involved, in order to identify solutions to balance the dysfunctions faced by the judicial system.
The professional body of lawyers in Romania knows very well that legislative unpredictability, underfunding, reduced staffing schemes, overcrowding of courts, the duration of judicial proceedings are all causes that disrupt the efficient and independent functioning of justice, directly affecting the interests of citizens, as well as the activity of all partners of the judicial system. On behalf of Romanian lawyers, indispensable partners of justice, U.N.B.R. expresses its full availability, within the limits of the competences conferred by law, to get involved in solving the problems that the judicial system is currently facing, including those regarding the provision of specialized personnel, in order to avoid blockages in justice and affect the fundamental rights of citizens.
At the same time, noting that the interruption of judicial activity does not have a unitary character at the level of all courts, U.N.B.R. asks all courts to communicate to the bar associations the facts at the level of each court. Also, the announcements regarding the start of the protest action do not clearly specify which are the categories of causes that represent exceptions to the measure of interruption of activity, thus there is a risk of serious, long-term effects, which, in case of sine die extension of the announced measure, are likely to cause a systemic blockage and affect the functioning of the rule of law.
U.N.B.R. considers that the measure of interruption of the activity of courts must be proportionate to the principle of ensuring continuity of justice and calls on decision-makers to identify appropriate solutions, in consultation with the professional body of lawyers, so as not to affect the rights of magistrates or citizens, as beneficiaries of justice.