Renate Weber will be reinstated as Ombudsman, after
\nthe Constitutional Court unanimously invalidated her dismissal by Parliament
\ntwo weeks ago. The Court accepted a complaint from the Social Democratic Party in
\nopposition and ruled that Weber must continue her 5-year mandate, which she
\nreceived in 2019. In a press statement, the magistrates explained that the decision
\nby which Parliament dismissed her is in breach of the principle of the rule of
\nlaw and the principle of the legality and supremacy of the Constitution, as
\nwell as of certain provisions of the law regulating the institution of
\nOmbudsman. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Renate Weber was dismissed on 16th June by
\nthe parliamentary majority during a session that Social Democrats refused to
\nattend. The president of the Senate’s legal committee, the Liberal MP Iulia
\nSc\u00e2ntei, said at the time that the Ombudsman’s job is to defend the citizens’
\nfundamental rights and freedoms and levied a number of accusations against
\nWeber:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The Ombudsman failed to act consistently in relations
\nwith Parliament and other authorities in keeping with the principle of loyal
\ncooperation. Neither did the Ombudsman fulfilled her role and duties in 2020
\nwith respect to defending, protecting and promoting the rights of children, who
\nwere strongly affected by the restrictions adopted during the pandemic.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
In response, Renate Weber said she had nothing to
\nblame herself for during her term in office. The leader of the Social Democrats
\nin opposition, Marcel Ciolacu, spoke of an attack by this toxic coalition against
\nthe rule of law, adding:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The Ombudsman has the job to monitor the government in
\ncase they violate citizen’s rights and our freedoms. The Ombudsman’s job is not
\nto applaud the government, on the contrary. For the government of a European
\ncountry to accuse the Ombudsman of monitoring it and pointing out breaches of
\nthe law with respect to citizens’ rights and freedoms is simply an act of
\ncontempt.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The Venice Commission also requested explanations from
\nthe speakers of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, Anca Dragu and Ludovic
\nOrban, respectively, about the dismissal of the Ombudsman. Last week, the legal
\ncommittees of the two chambers already gave the green light to the nomination
\nof Fabian Gyula from the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania to
\ntake over as the new Ombudsman, a move that now proves to have been in vain. Among
\nother powers, the Ombudsman can block the government’s orders by challenging
\nthem in the Constitutional Court. (CM)<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Renate Weber to be reinstated as Ombudsman, after the Constitutional Court invalidates her dismissal by Parliament.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":107,"featured_media":89295,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[37738],"tags":[31671],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-89414","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-today-in-the-news","tag-ombudsman"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n