PRESS RELEASE

On March 3rd 2021, at the main headquarters of the High Court of Cassation and Justice of Romania, took place the presentation event of the Annual Report of the High Court of Cassation and Justice for year 2020.

The report was previously approved by the justices’ General Assembly, on March 2nd 2021, and it is to be published in full on the Court’s website.

In the event took part Mr. Klaus Werner Iohannis, President of Romania, who adressed a short message to the justices of the High Court and the general public, focused on this difficult year for the judiciary and the challenges of the next period of time.

There were also present Mr.Valer Dorneanu, President of the Contitutional Court,  Mr. Mihai-Bogdan Mateescu, President of the Superior Council of Magistracy, Mr. Stelian Ion, Minister of Justice, Mrs. Gabriela Scutea, General Prosecutor of the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice (Attorney General), Mrs.Renate Weber, Ombudsman, Mr. Traian-Cornel Briciu, President of the National Union of the Romanian Bar Associations,  Mr. Dumitru Viorel Mănescu, President of the National Union of Notaries Public.

 Due to the need to ensure compliance with the health regulations, including social distancing, the judges of the High Court took part in the event via videoconference, through a dedicated a platform.

In her message, Mrs. Corina-Alina Corbu, President of the High Court of Cassation and Justice of Romania emphasised that, in a difficult and atypical judicial year, due to the special situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the High Court proved its ability to remain fully operational, both in terms od fulfilling its constitutional role of managing the arrangements and mechanisms for unifying jurisprudence and also, as the highest judicial court of the land.

Through the effort of the High Court’s justices, as well as prompt measures to reinstate cases after the end of last years’s state of emergency and, also, by halving the judicial holiday, the activity parameters of the supreme court have remained constant, despite the restrictions on judicial activity during the state of emergency, imposed subsequently to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2020, the workload of the High Court registered a variation of less than 2000 cases in comparison to the previous year, with a total of 26976 cases, which is still extremely high for a court of last instance. The number of solved files increased, compared to 2019, by over 1100 files, reaching 15404 files and the stock of files at the end of the year decreased in 2020 by 3078 files.

Statistical data also allow for moderate optimism in regard to the trend of operability, the decrease of the medium duration of time for solving cases and compliance with the time deadlines regulated by law for issuing the complete judgment, including its reasoning; good progress was made by the Administrative and Fiscal Litigation Section, which is the busiest section of the Supreme Court, but the last statistical marker still remains to a high level and it is necessary to take concerted action in 2021 to address and improve these issues, which may have become chronic.

In this regard, the President of the High Court invited representatives of all state powers with responsabilities for the public service of justice to a constructive dialogue for further improving this public service.

For the year 2021, the supreme court sets it’s priority to further open up to the citizens who are involved in judicial proceedings and to their actual needs, by continuing it’s modernization efforts, especially in terms of digitalization, and streamlining its activity.

The President of the High Court sent a special message of appreciation to the judges of all the  other courts in the judicial system, thanking them for the manner in which they managed to serve their social mission, in the very difficult circumstances created by the health crisis, and expressed the High Court’s full support for the current problems they face.

The High Court also shows it’s interest in partnerships with all the other legal proffesions, in order to improve the quality of the public service it provides.

HIGH COURT OF CASSATION AND JUSTICE OF ROMANIA