The EU's response to the Threats to the Rule of Law in Romania: A political and legal assessment

This paper focuses on the critical situation in Romania regarding the rule of law. Drafted as qualitative analysis, the research starts by defining the rule of law, focusing on the current issues in the Romanian judicial system. This research depicts the state of the art concerning the core values of the EU legal systems with a strong focus on the rule of law, followed by a normative assessment of how these values should be approached at the national level. Having into consideration the European law, this paper looks into whether the response of the European Union to the rule of law situation in Romania is appropriate, effective and sufficient. The main question being raised in this regard is whether or not the identified problem is the lack of an efficient upgrade of the role played by the institutions and their approach towards the core values for the wellbeing of the society. To find an answer, we will analyse the Romanian laws which led to the backsliding of the rule of law and the follow-up efforts conducted to reach the European standards regarding the rule of law from both European and national side.