Romania Constitutional Court blocks financial interest declarations

The Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR) has ruled that the publication of financial interest declarations for certain categories of officials is unconstitutional. This decision follows an amendment originally intended to target the unmarried partners of high-ranking officials, such as the partner of Nicușor Dan, by requiring them to disclose assets.

Instead, the amendment triggered a broader legal consequence. The CCR found that the new mechanism for publishing financial interest declarations—which closely mirrored existing asset and interest declarations—exceeded the legitimate purpose of ensuring public integrity. The Court noted that such public exposure would infringe upon the private lives of officials and their partners without sufficient justification, violating constitutional protections regarding privacy.

As a result, the mechanism designed to make financial information public for 43 different categories of officials has been effectively blocked. While spouses may still be required to file declarations, the ruling prevents the National Integrity Agency (ANI) from investigating informal partners or those living in similar domestic arrangements, and prohibits the Parliament from using new terminology to bypass previous transparency requirements.