President Nicușor Dan appointed Professor Dacian Cosmin Dragoș as a judge at the CCR on Tuesday, according to a statement from the Presidential Administration.
”The President of Romania, Nicușor Dan, signed on Tuesday the decree appointing Mr. Dacian Cosmin Dragoș, a university professor at the Faculty of Political, Administrative, and Communication Sciences and a doctoral supervisor at the Faculty of Law of Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, to the position of judge at the Constitutional Court of Romania, for a nine-year term starting on July 13, 2025,” the statement reads.
The nomination was made in accordance with the constitutional duties of the President of Romania, under which the president appoints three of the nine judges of the Constitutional Court.
The Constitutional Court renews a third of its judges every 3 years.
Who is Dacian Cosmin Dragoș
According to the statement from the Presidential Administration, Dacian Cosmin Dragoș is a recognized figure in the field of administrative and European law, recipient of the prestigious Marie Curie European scholarship at Michigan State University (2005-2006), and a World Bank expert in public procurement (2020-2023).
With remarkable academic and research activity and a significant contribution to the elaboration of the Administrative Procedure Code project (2006-2008 and 2020-2021) and the Administrative Code (2010-2011), Professor Dragoș has been involved in national and international projects concerning public administration reform and the rule of law, and is known for his balanced and scientifically grounded positions.
Dacian Cosmin Dragoș was a legal expert for 3 years in Romania's team in the Rosia Montana arbitral dispute and in other arbitral disputes.
In the periods 2016-2017 and 2020-2023, he was the President of the National Council of Ethics for Scientific Research, Technological Development, and Innovation.
”Through this nomination, the President of Romania reaffirms the strong commitment to the proper functioning of public authorities, judicial independence, respect for the rule of law, and the strengthening of the Constitutional Court's role as a guarantor of the Constitution's supremacy,” the statement further reads.
Previously, on June 24, Parliament designated two new judges to the Constitutional Court. They are Mihai Busuioc, proposed by PSD, and Asztalos Csaba, proposed by UDMR.
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The three new judges will replace Marian Enache (former CCR president), Attila Varga, and Livia Stanciu at the Constitutional Court.
Enache was appointed in July 2016 for a 9-year term by the Senate. His term as CCR president has already expired on June 10.
Judge Attila Varga, designated by the Chamber of Deputies, will see his term expire on July 12, while Livia Stanciu, appointed by Klaus Iohannis, will see her term end on July 13.
Nine-year Term
The Constitutional Court, composed of nine judges, renews one-third of its judges every three years, as provided by the Court's law.
The mandate at the CCR is unique, without the possibility of renewal, and requires a solid legal background with a minimum of 18 years of experience in the field.
The position of judge at the Constitutional Court is incompatible with any other public or private position, except for teaching positions in higher legal education.
According to an informal agreement between parliamentary parties, PSD and UDMR share the two positions at the Court, while USR is expected to propose the future People's Advocate.