Romania: Loan deal with World Bank ruled constitutional by court

The Constitutional Court of Romania has declared the law ratifying a loan agreement between Romania and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) as constitutional. The decision, reached unanimously on Monday, dismisses challenges previously lodged by parliamentary deputies from the AUR and SOS Romania parties. The loan agreement, specifically for development policies in fiscal matters and economic growth, was signed in Washington on April 16, 2026. The court's ruling affirmed that the law's adoption procedure adhered to constitutional provisions. Judges noted that the Legislative Council's opinion was sought, and the government was requested to provide its viewpoint and the relevant financial sheet for the project. The Court emphasized that demonstrating the request for the financial sheet and the government's notification is sufficient, and any failure by the competent authority to transmit these documents does not impede the legislative process. The court also highlighted that the government had previously approved the negotiation and signing of the agreement via a memorandum, with the Minister of Finance affixing their signature. These actions, the court stated, indicate full institutional awareness of the ratification law's financial implications. Regarding the specific arguments raised by the challenging parliamentarians, the Constitutional Court deemed them insufficient to constitute genuine claims of unconstitutionality. The court concluded that these criticisms, which echoed observations from the Legislative Council's advisory opinion, were not sufficiently substantiated or motivated by the authors as grounds for extrinsic unconstitutionality, thus failing to meet admissibility requirements.

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According to the Court's jurisprudence, it is sufficient to provide proof of the request for the financial sheet and the government's notification, the non-transmission of these by the competent authority not being able to constitute an impediment to the continuation of the legislative procedure of the normative act.