The Foundation for the Defense of Citizens Against State Abuses (FACIAS) draws attention to a concerning phenomena that costs taxpayers tens of millions of euros and that the Romanian state is helplessly assisting.
It is about the amount of compensation Romania pays following ECHR convictions, which sums to about 50 million euros in the last five years alone, according to information provided by the Ministry of Finance.
These amounts are paid from the governmental budget and, in reality, from Romanians` money. With very few exceptions, the state does nothing to reclaim this money from thosee ones guilty. According to the legislation, the authorities have recourse action against those who are responsible for causing this damage, through which it can be recovered. However, according to official data from the Ministry of Finance, the state has only recovered 4,000 euros in the last five years through recourse action against a person found guilty of Romania's conviction at the ECHR.
All these figures show that the state is not attempting to recoup the costs of the convictions that Romania consistently receives at the ECHR.
FACIAS requests that the Romanian government hold accountable individuals who are responsible for large sums paid as compensation following ECHR and CJEU judgements against Romania.