Romania could be in the EU hot seat like Poland if the ruling coalition pushes ahead with changes to the legal system, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has said.
The Senate in Bucharest adopted amendments on Tuesday 19 December to a law regulating the status of judges and prosecutors, including new sanctions against those thought to have acted in bad faith.
Critics of the legislation, including opposition politicians, argue that this could compromise the independence of the judiciary.
When asked if Romania could face similar sanctions to Poland, Iohannis said: “That risk exists. If someone thinks that changing the justice laws will not have any consequences … the consequences will depend on the gravity of the changes.”
Attempts by the ruling Social Democrats (PSD) and their liberal junior coalition partner ALDE to change justice laws led to the biggest protests Romania has seen since the fall of Communism in 1989.
These protests have resumed in recent weeks, but on a smaller scale.
Iohannis, who belonged to the opposition National Liberal Party before becoming president, has the power to veto the legislative changes, but only once.
