The Supreme Court, harsh reaction after the money won in court by magistrates was moved to PSD's solidarity package, in the draft budget

The High Court of Cassation and Justice (ÎCCJ) demands “the cessation of unilateral rescheduling practices”, after, during the debates on the state budget, the coalition leaders decided to take from the money allocated for the payment of salary arrears from the Justice to cover the amount required for the social package requested by the PSD for vulnerable people. The ÎCCJ warns that it will also launch legal actions to compel the Government to provide these outstanding amounts.

In a press release broadcast on Thursday evening, in the context of the ongoing parliamentary debates on the state budget for 2026, the High Court, headed by judge Lia Savonea (photo), states that it “noted with concern” the attitude of the Romanian Government, which it accuses of “constantly and systematically adopting measures with the effect of restricting and affecting the rights of judges, starting with the interventions on the pension regime and continuing, in present, ignoring the legal obligations to execute final court decisions”.

“This development is not an isolated one. It reflects a practice that raises serious question marks regarding the observance of the principles of the rule of law”, accuses the ÎCCJ, which also warns that “the execution of court decisions is not optional. The execution cannot be postponed, reinterpreted or made discretionary”.

“The government cannot endlessly avoid enforcing them because the law is not optional”

“When the obligations established by final judgments are repeatedly subject to unilateral rescheduling mechanisms, whereby the state, as debtor, arrogates to itself the right to decide when and how to execute its own obligations, we are talking about behavior incompatible with the legal order. The rights recognized by court judgments represent certain claims, protected as assets. The repeated postponement of their execution, for extended periods, directly affects the right to property and undermines legal security”, states the ÎCCJ.

The supreme court also says that, in its capacity as the main orderer of credits for the courts, “it cannot accept that the decisions handed down by the courts are treated as simple options. Respecting them is a constitutional and international obligation of the Romanian state”.

“Under these conditions, the High Court requests the cessation of unilateral rescheduling practices”, and “in the absence of measures in accordance with the law, all the necessary legal steps will be initiated, including a legal action to compel the Government to provide the amounts in order to fulfill the obligations”.

“The rule of law is not negotiable. Court rulings are not optional. The government cannot endlessly avoid their execution because the law is not optional”, the High Court of Cassation and Justice also transmits in the end.

The compromise found by the Coalition for unblocking the budget discussions: money moved from Justice

Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan announced on Thursday morning that an agreement was reached in the Coalition, so that the social package requested by the PSD, which threatened that otherwise it would not vote for the budget, will be included in the draft budget. Specifically, money will be taken from the amounts that would have been paid to magistrates after winning wage rights in court.

Bolojan made the announcement at the end of the talks convened by Sorin Grindeanu with the leaders of the Coalition, after three days of arguments in Parliament on the state budget for 2026.

“We have a responsibility to unblock the discussions related to the budget. A formula was found by which the proposal related to the social package will be supported by the coalition”, declared the prime minister, at the end of the discussions in Sorin Grindeanu's office. “We decided to reduce the expenditure component from the rights obtained by the magistrates in the past years and practically postpone them”, announced Bolojan.

More precisely, the leaders of the coalition decided to take from the money allocated in the budget of the High Court for the return of some sums won in court by the magistrates. Part of this amount will be moved to the PSD solidarity package, which provides for the granting of some aid to pensioners.

Basically, the Government will not pay all the money to the magistrates, but only an installment. Initially, the ÎCCJ budget provided for an amount of 4.94 billion lei for personnel expenses (47.9% increase compared to 2025).