Case C-53/23, Asociaţia Forumul Judecătorilor din România (Associations of judges): Judgment of the Court (First Chamber) of 8 May 2024 (request for a preliminary ruling from the Curtea de Apel Piteşti - Romania) - Asociația Forumul Judecătorilor din România, Asociația Mișcarea pentru Apărarea Statutului Procurorilor v Parchetul de pe lângă Înalta Curte de Casaţie şi Justiţie – Procurorul General al României (Reference for a preliminary ruling – Rule of law – Judicial independence – Article 19(1) TEU – Cooperation and Verification Mechanism – Benchmarks subscribed to by Romania – Fight against corruption – Investigations of offences committed within the judicial system – Action challenging the nomination of prosecutors with competence to conduct those investigations – Standing of professional associations of judges to bring proceedings)
Date: 2024-05-08
Institutions: Court of Justice
Subjects: Romania, appointment of members, corruption, fight against crime, independence of the judiciary, judge, professional association, public prosecutor's department, right of action, rule of law








C_202403726EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2024/3726


24.6.2024






Judgment of the Court (First Chamber) of 8 May 2024 (request for a preliminary ruling from the Curtea de Apel Piteşti - Romania) - Asociația ‘Forumul Judecătorilor din România’, Asociația ‘Mișcarea pentru Apărarea Statutului Procurorilor’ v Parchetul de pe lângă Înalta Curte de Casaţie şi Justiţie – Procurorul General al României


(Case C-53/23,
                (1)
Asociaţia ‘Forumul Judecătorilor din România’ (Associations of judges))

(Reference for a preliminary ruling - Rule of law - Judicial independence - Article 19(1) TEU - Cooperation and Verification Mechanism - Benchmarks subscribed to by Romania - Fight against corruption - Investigations of offences committed within the judicial system - Action challenging the nomination of prosecutors with competence to conduct those investigations - Standing of professional associations of judges to bring proceedings)
(C/2024/3726)
Language of the case: Romanian

Referring court

Curtea de Apel Piteşti

Parties to the main proceedings


Applicants: Asociația ‘Forumul Judecătorilor din România’, Asociația ‘Mișcarea pentru Apărarea Statutului Procurorilor’
         

Defendant: Parchetul de pe lângă Înalta Curte de Casaţie şi Justiţie - Procurorul General al României

Operative part of the judgment

Article 2 and Article 19(1) TEU, read in combination with Articles 12 and 47 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union,
must be interpreted as not precluding national legislation which, by making the admissibility of an action for annulment challenging the appointment of prosecutors competent to conduct criminal prosecutions against judges subject to the existence of a legitimate private interest, excludes, in practice, such an action from being brought by professional associations of judges seeking to defend the principle of the independence of the judiciary.


(1)  
            OJ C 189, 30.5.2023.


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/3726/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)