Eurocities is deeply concerned by the decision to strip the democratically elected mayor of Timisoara, Dominic Fritz, of his mandate through a law approved by the Romanian Parliament, which appears to breach fundamental principles of the rule of law.
Dominic Fritz was elected twice by the people of Timișoara, most recently in 2024. In thirty days, he stands to lose his office through the retroactive application of a legislative amendment, one that appears to have been written specifically to target him.
Two rule-of-law principles are at stake
The case originates in an administrative conflict-of-interest finding from 2020, which was already resolved under the law as it stood at the time: a temporary salary reduction and a bar on standing for re-election after his current term. That sanction was final. A new amendment, however, now makes any past conflict-of-interest finding grounds for automatic removal from office, including cases the courts had already closed, and applies this retroactively.
This raises serious questions under two principles that underpin the rule of law across Europe: that laws should not be applied retroactively to punish conduct that was already judged and settled under a different, final sanction, and that no one should be punished twice for the same offence once a final judgment has been handed down.
Championing local democracy
Eurocities has long championed the principle that local democracy is a value that cities themselves must help defend. Mayor Fritz’s case is one of the examples of why our #Mayors4Democracy campaign exists: to highlight elected local leaders facing removal through the selective use of legal and administrative tools against them.
Eurocities will continue to follow this case closely, alongside our member Timisoara, and stands ready to support efforts to ensure that fundamental rule-of-law principles are respected.
