Evolution of Equality as a Constitutional Principle in Romania: European Union Membership Impacts and Current Challenges

Tudorel Toader; Marieta Safta

doi:10.62733/2026.1.9-31

Authors

Tudorel Toader Al I Cuza University – Iași, Faculty of Law https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2435-2441
Marieta Safta Titu Maiorescu University – Bucharest, Faculty of Law https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5638-7708

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62733/2026.1.9-31

Keywords:

equality, constitutional review, European Union, Constitutional Court of Romania, human rights

Abstract

This study examines the evolution of equality as a constitutional principle in Romania, focusing on the transformative impact of European Union (EU) membership within the broader context of human rights regulations in Europe. It provides an overview of how equality has been understood within Romanian constitutional law, emphasising foundational principles and interpretations made by the Constitutional Court with the incorporation of European catalogues of human rights. From this perspective, the research highlights how the court has addressed complex issues such as gender equality, minority rights, and anti-discrimination protections in sensitive areas. These include political and social rights, education, and even review of the constitutional identity, all while balancing EU mandates with national legal traditions and social contexts. The aim is to evaluate the Constitutional Court’s role in incorporating international standards in constitutional review and discuss the ongoing challenges of harmonising human rights protection standards within the EU.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Conference of European Constitutional Courts (2018) Germany – Questionnaire, XVIII Congress of CECC [Online]. Available at: https://www.cecc2017-2020.org/fileadmin/Dokumenty/Pdf/Questionnaire/National_Reports/English/Germany_-_Questionnaire_XVIII_Congress_of_CECC_eng.pdf (Accessed: 3 January 2025).

Conference of European Constitutional Courts (2021) General Report of the XVIth Congress of the Conference of European Constitutional Courts, ‘Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms: The Relationship of International, Supranational and National Catalogues in the 21st Century’, hosted by the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic [Online]. Available at: https://www.cecc2017-2020.org/fileadmin/Dokumenty/Pdf/General_Report/Rapport_General_General_Report_e-version.pdf (Accessed: 3 January 2025).

Council of Europe (1950) European Convention on Human Rights [Online]. Available at: https://www.echr.coe.int/documents/d/echr/convention_eng (Accessed: 5 January 2025).

Council of Europe (2000) Protocol No. 12 to the European Convention on Human Rights (ETS No. 177) [Online]. Available at: https://www.echr.coe.int/documents/d/echr/library_collection_p12_ets177e_eng (Accessed: 5 January 2025).

Council of the European Union (2024) EU priorities for cooperation with the Council of Europe in 2025–2026, adopted by the General Affairs Council on 17 December 2024 [Online]. Available at: https://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/council-europe/eu-priorities-cooperation-council-europe-adopted-next-two-years_en?s=51 (Accessed: 5 January 2025).

Epure, G., Brodeală, E. (2021) Going Against the Tide: the Romanian Constitutional Court Rejects a Ban on Gender Studies [Online]. Available at: https://www.iconnectblog.com/2021/03/going-against-the-tide-the-romanian-constitutionalcourt-rejects-aban-on-gender-studies/ (Accessed: 3 January 2025).

Gerards, J. (2020) ‘Non-Discrimination, the European Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights: Who Takes the Lead?’ in Giegerich, T. (ed.) The European Union as Protector and Promoter of Equality. Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 135–163; https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-43764-0_7.

Hennette-Vauchez, S. (2023) ‘Gender Equality in the European Court of Human Rights’ in Cook, R. J. (ed.) Frontiers of Gender Equality. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, pp. 199–218; https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv2sck6z6.14.

Howes, E. C. (2022) ‘Living Tree Doctrines of the Canadian Constitution and Indigenous Law’, The Dalhousie Journal of Legal Studies, 31(1), pp. 32–51 [Online]. Available at: https://digitalcommons.schulichlaw.dal.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1428&context=djls (Accessed: 2 January 2025).

Huscroft, G. (2006) ‘The Trouble with Living Tree Interpretation’, University of Queensland Law Journal, 25(1), pp. 3–23 [Online]. Available at: https://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/UQLawJl/2006/2.pdf (Accessed: 2 January 2025).

Lenaerts, K. (2011) ‘The Court of Justice of the European Union and the Protection of Fundamental Rights’, Polish Yearbook of International Law, 31, pp. 79–106 [Online]. Available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2218538 (Accessed: 3 January 2025).

Polakiewicz, J. (2016) Europe’s Multi-layered Human Rights Protection System: Challenges, Opportunities and Risks [Online]. Available at: https://www.coe.int/en/web/dlapil/speeches-of-the-director/-/asset_publisher/ja71RsfCQTP7/content/europes-multi-layered-human-rights-protection-system-challenges-opportunities-and risks (Accessed: 2 January 2025).

Safta, M. (2023) The Constitutional Court of Romania Against Gender Stereotypes: a Landmark Decision on Gender Equality and Identity [Online]. Available at: https://blog-iacl-aidc.org/2023-posts/2023/11/9/the-constitutional-court-of-romania-against-gender-stereotypes-a-landmark-decision-on-gender-equality-and-identity (Accessed: 3 January 2025).

Tănăsescu, E.S. (1999) Principiul Egalității în Dreptul Românesc [The Principle of Equality in Romanian Law]. București: All Beck Publishing.

United Nations (1948) Universal Declaration of Human Rights [Online]. Available at: https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights (Accessed: 5 January 2025).

Vila, M.I. (2017) ‘Subsidiarity, margin of appreciation and international adjudication within a cooperative conception of human rights’, International Journal of Constitutional Law, 15(2), pp. 393–413; https://doi.org/10.1093/icon/mox035.

von Bogdandy, A., Grabenwarter, C., Huber, P. M. (2023) ‘Constitutional Adjudication in the European Legal Space’ in von Bogdandy, A., Huber, P. M., Grabenwarter, C. (eds.) The Max Planck Handbooks in European Public Law, Volume IV: Constitutional Adjudication: Common Themes and Challenges. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 383–418; https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780192846693.003.0009.