EU's Influence on Romania's Judicial System: A Step Towards Democratic Consolidation?

This article explores the general theme of how international actors, such as European Union, influence new democracies from Central and Eastern Europe. The contention that as long as the EU requirements regarding domestic aspects of the post communist member states are high, the reform and change at the national level are low, demands evidence and explanation. Therefore, a major task of this study is to provide a clear and detailed account of the impact of membership requirements on the process of democratization in Romania. In order to establish a link between the two variables, the status of the judicial system was addressed in depth. Thus, we have concluded that the implementation of EU’s requirements in Romania has only succeeded slightly and partially. Though some progress has been recorded in terms of structural aspects, when it came to substantive change, a certain reluctance to commit to the full implementation of reforms has led to numerous failures in complying with the EU requirements.