Ooni Koda
  1. Home
  2. /
  3. Newsfeed
  4. /
  5. Justice Minister Marinescu, WB representatives discuss portfolio of...

Justice Minister Marinescu, WB representatives discuss portfolio of judiciary investment projects

April 9, 2025

Justice Minister Radu Marinescu met on Monday with World Bank representatives in Romania for talks on the portfolio of investment projects in the judiciary for the present and the next five years, the Justice Ministry said in a release.According to the said document, judiciary investments for the next period consist of three main projects, which will be carried out with WB support.The first is the Judicial Services Improvement Project, which so far has seen contracts signed for approximately the entire value of the financing agreement, specifically some 59.025 million euros of the 60 million euros (98.37%). As much as 49.7 million euros (82.85%) have been effectively spent to date, and the rest of the previously contracted amounts will be spent by November 30, 2025, essentially for the continuation of works at the new headquarters of the Targu Neamt Court (current completion stage is 52%), the continuation of the design of the headquarters of the Corabia and Calafat courts, of the Sibiu Tribunal, as well as the continuation of the micro works required for the restoration of the LAN communication networks at 37 court headquarters, grouped in 6 lots.The contracts signed under the project "Consolidation of the bases for judicial services improvement" amount to a combined 0.37 million euros of the 100 million euros available (0.37%), approximately 35 million euros are in the process of contracting (international public tenders in progress or in the phase of documentation preparation) and 0.02 million euros (0.02%) have been effectively spent to date.This project will enable the construction, by December 2030, of modern headquarters for the Calafat, Corabia, Filiasi, Simleu Silvaniei, Valenii de Munte, Oravita courts and of the Sibiu Tribunal, the completion of micro works necessary for the restoration of the LAN communication networks at the headquarters of 93 courts throughout the country, the continuation of the design of Bucharest's Justice District, the archiving and digitization of the passive archive of the Bucharest Tribunal, and various support measures in the field of judicial and extrajudicial assistance, including the possibility of creating a new profession in Romania (the community paralegal), by a similar model found in other European countries (the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, the Republic of Moldova), but also on other continents (Canada, New Zealand).The Justice Ministry also refers to the preparation of the Justice District Project, which is in the stage of the feasibility study and the expropriation moves.To date, contracts have been signed for approximately the entire value of the financing agreement, in a cumulative amount of approximately 2.44 million US dollars out of the 2.5 million dollars available (97.58%), of which 2.02 million US dollars (80.8%) have been effectively spent to date, the cited source shows."The funds were used over 2020 - 2024 for the full development and approval of the Feasibility Study (which accounts for 50% of the complete design documentation that will be used in the execution of the works), and the draft Government Decision was also prepared for the approval of the technical and economic indicators and the initiation of the expropriation of the private properties in the area of the Justice District investment project," the Justice Ministry reports.The rest of the previously contracted amounts can be spent until November 30, 2025 (with the possibility of a one-year extension), notably for the effective conduct of the expropriation and for the restoration of the cadastral documentation and the post-expropriation land registers.There are also other priorities related to the Justice District, which will continue over 2025-2026 and which refer to the continuation of negotiations with the World Bank and the Council of Europe Development Bank, in cooperation with the Finance Ministry, for the financing of the necessary civil works through a separate project and loan agreement estimated at a total 926 million euros, to which Romania's contribution of approximately 385 million euros will add. (Photo:https://www.just.ro/)

Read in full - click here
Venice Film Festival: Romanian director Cristian Mungiu, member of this year’s jury

Romanian director Cristian Mungiu will be part of the jury that will judge the films in the main competition of this year’s Venice Film Festival - Venezia 82. The jury, headed by American director Alexander Payne, includes French director and screenwriter Stéphane Brizé, Italian director and screenwriter Maura Delpero, Iranian director and writer Mohammad Rasoulof, Brazilian actress, writer, and […]

Council of Europe report: Romania among six European countries facing severe prison overcrowding

Romania continues to face significant prison overcrowding, according to the Council of Europe’s latest data, released on Friday, July 18. The 2024 Annual Penal Statistics on Prison Populations (SPACE I) show that Romania is among six countries in Europe with severe overcrowding, housing 116 inmates for every 100 available places. The report, which...

Chris Hemsworth's surprise drum performance with Ed Sheeran in Bucharest featured in new ‘Limitless’ season

Chris Hemsworth returns to Disney+ in August with a new season of the National Geographic documentary series Limitless, this time focused not just on longevity, but on discovering how to live better. Titled Limitless: Live Better Now, the three-part season follows Hemsworth through physical, emotional, and mental challenges across six countries, with one standout episode […]

Black Sea 200 Regatta 2025: First non-stop offshore regatta in Romania takes place this month

The Black Sea 200 Regatta 2025, Romania’s first non-stop offshore regatta with a 200 nautical mile route, takes place between July 21 and 27. Now in its first edition, the event brings together more than 10 boats from Romania and Bulgaria, according to the organizers. The endurance course will start and finish in the Romanian […]

Illegal zoo in southern Romania fined for environmental and animal welfare violations

The National Environmental Guard has fined an illegally operating zoo in Dâmbovița county, southern Romania, a total of RON 120,000 following a joint inspection that uncovered serious violations, including the lack of environmental authorization and inadequate conditions for wild animals kept in captivity. The zoo was reportedly charging RON 50 per person for entry and […]

Romania’s cybersecurity agency and Enevo join forces to protect energy infrastructure

The National Cybersecurity Directorate (DNSC) and engineering company Enevo Group have signed a strategic cooperation agreement to strengthen cybersecurity in Romania’s energy sector. The partnership aims to test and develop monitoring and alerting technologies for cyberattacks, and to improve national response coordination to incidents affecting critical infrastructure, the companies said. The agreement focuses on sharing […]