Guide to Foreign and International Legal Citations - New York ...

I. COUNTRY PROFILE (Civil Law)
ROMANIA
Romania is a republic comprised of forty-one counties (judete) and one municipality
(municipiu). Romania declared its independence on May 9, 1877. Romania’s official language
is Romanian. Its legal system is based on the civil law tradition.
The Romanian Constitution, adopted in 1991 and most recently amended in 2003,
established its form of government. Executive power is vested in the President, who is the head
of state. The President is elected directly by the people to a four-year term, and may not serve
more than two consecutive terms. The Prime Minister, who is the head of Government, is
appointed by the President. Members of the Council of Ministers are appointed by the Prime
Minister.
Legislative power is vested in the bicameral Parliament (Parlamentul României), which
is comprised of the Senate (Senatul) and the Chamber of Deputies (Camera Deputaţilor). Both
the 137 Members of the Senate and the 332 Members of the Chamber of Deputies are elected by
the people on the basis of proportional representation to four-year terms.
The judicial power consists of the High Court of Cassation (Înalta Curte de Casaţie şi
Justiţie, formerly known as the Supreme Court), Courts of Appeal, Tribunals, and Lower Courts
or Courts of First Instance. The courts are further divided by their areas of specialty. The High
Court of Cassation exercises supreme judicial power and is in charge of unifying jurisprudence.
Judges of the High Court of Cassation are appointed by the Prime Minister based on
recommendations by the Superior Council of Magistrates.
The Constitutional Court is the guarantor of the supremacy of the Constitution. It is
comprised of nine judges appointed to a nonrenewable, nine-year term. The Constitutional Court
is in charge with a priori and a posteriori constitutional review of legislation, treaties, bylaws
adopted by the Parliament, and governmental ordinances. The Constitutional Court also
supervises presidential elections, determines the procedures of referenda, and has jurisdiction
over disputes between political parties.
Internet Resources:
Government:
http://www.guv.ro
Foreign Office:
http://www.mae.ro
Ministry of Justice:
http://www.just.ro
Presidency:
http://www.presidency.ro
II. CITATION GUIDE
Parliament:
http://www.parlament.ro
Constitutional Court:
http://www.ccr.ro
High Court of Cassation:
http://www.scj.ro
The Official Gazette:
http://www.monitoruloficial.ro
There is no uniform code of citation in Romania. There are, however, some accepted practices,
but they are not followed by all authors.
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