Following legal action initiated by the Foundation for the Defense of Citizens Against State Abuses (FACIAS), the Government has initiated the process of adopting regulations designed to ensure the protection of Romanian workers in foreign countries. This development follows a period of over three years characterised by inaction, and represents an effort to amend the methodological norms for the application of Law 156/2000, which pertains to the protection of Romanian workers abroad.
This decision follows a series of legal actions by FACIAS directed at the Government, requesting the implementation of the requisite regulations to enable the application of the law that protects Romanian citizens working abroad.
The absence of enforceable regulations has rendered Romanian workers vulnerable to considerable hazards, including exploitative employment contracts from employment agencies, substandard working conditions, and the incapacity to derive adequate legal protection from the Romanian state.
The gravity of the situation is substantiated by the most recent incident in Spain, wherein 52 Romanian workers were subjected to exploitation and held in deplorable conditions on a plantation. These individuals were recruited from Romania with the assurance of remunerative opportunities and adequate working conditions. However, upon their arrival, they were deprived of their identity documents and subsequently endured grave mistreatment, compelled to reside in unhygienic shacks devoid of basic amenities.
At the last judgment term in January 2025, FACIAS presented its argument to the court on the pressing need to establish the methodological norms. The argument was made that, in the absence of these norms, the law remains inapplicable and Romanian citizens working abroad continue to be exposed to risks and abuses. Furthermore, FACIAS emphasised to the magistrates that the Government's inaction constitutes a violation of its legal obligations, directly contributing to the perpetuation of abuses against Romanians abroad and effectively denying them an adequate protection mechanism.
On 22 January 2025, the Ministry of Labor and Social Solidarity published a draft Government Decision to amend and supplement the methodological norms of Law No. 156/2000, and FACIAS will monitor the stages of its adoption without further delays.
It is imperative that Romanian workers are provided with genuine protection and that the operation of employment agencies is subject to stricter regulation. Furthermore, it is essential to impose severe sanctions on those who fail to comply with the law, thereby ensuring that potential abuses against Romanians are effectively addressed.