The CSM requests the Government to unblock the competitions for admission to the magistracy. Over 700 vacancies nationwide
Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM), Photo: INQUAM Photos / Octav Ganea
The section for judges of the Superior Council of the Magistracy requests the Romanian Government to immediately adopt the necessary measures to unblock the competitions for admission to the judiciary, suspended for the period January 1 – December 31, 2026, as was done in other fields of activity, such as in health or education, the realization of the act of justice having at least equal social importance, according to a statement sent on Tuesday by the CSM.
At the level of courts throughout the country, there is currently a 15% shortage of judges, with 751 positions out of a national scheme of 5,070 positions vacant, according to the CSM.
The organization of competitions for admission to the judiciary was blocked by Law no. 141/2025 regarding some fiscal-budgetary measures adopted last year by the Bolojan Government.
“The good functioning of the judiciary in order to achieve a quality act of justice is seriously affected, to the detriment of the citizens, and the legal provisions that blocked the organization of competitions for admission to the magistracy only generate the premises for the amplification of the chronic lack of human resources at the level of the courts”, emphasizes the CSM in the press release.
The Council has publicly signaled several times the situation of human resources and requested the implementation of legislative measures to fill vacant positions.
The CSM warns that in the current context, against the backdrop of “repeated attacks on the professional body from the other powers in the state and some media representatives”, there is a risk of voluntary departures from the judicial system.
Romanian courts, the CSM also points out, are in first place in the European Union in terms of volume of activity, during the year 2025, approximately 3.6 million cases were registered in the role of the courts, which were managed under the conditions of a shortage of judges located around the percentage of 20% throughout the year.
According to a statistic prepared by the Council, in Romania 49 judges operate in emergency mode, the load per judge being in the case of many of them above the national average load. Thus, from an approved scheme of 4-5 judge posts, in some of these courts between 1-3 judges are actually in office, with the consequence of profoundly affecting the efficiency of the judicial act and the duration of the proceedings.
The section for judges requests the Romanian Government to undertake concrete legislative measures to create the legal framework necessary to cover the shortage of judges, since “for the proper functioning of Romanian society, it is essential to make the activity of the courts more efficient, by prioritizing the human resources component, the consequences of the staff shortage on the constitutional right of citizens to access justice within a reasonable time being direct and serious”.
