Bucharest court suspends six government decisions after PSD challenge, PNL warns of €140m risk

What the court decided

On 30 July 2026, the Bucharest Court of Appeal suspended six government decisions (HGs) adopted by the interim cabinet of Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan. The rulings came after the Social Democratic Party (PSD) challenged 12 such acts, arguing that a government dismissed through a no-confidence vote lacks the authority to adopt new policies. The suspended decisions cover agriculture, organ transplant contributions, protected natural areas, and housing benefits for adults with disabilities. The court's reasoning has not yet been published.

The suspended acts

The six HGs include: HG 545/2026, modifying the organisation of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Anti-Hail Authority; HG 546/2026, approving Romania's 2026 contribution for interconnection with international organ exchange organisations; HG 547/2026, reorganising the Lovrin Agricultural Research Station; HG 509/2026, amending the regime of Natura 2000 protected areas; HG 569/2026, establishing procedures for housing and transition benefits for adults with disabilities; and HG 571/2026, also suspended until the court rules on the merits. All decisions are enforceable by law and remain in effect until the annulment actions are resolved. The government may appeal within five days.

Political backlash and financial warnings

National Liberal Party (PNL) leaders reacted sharply. Deputy Robert Sighiartău wrote on social media:

PSD demands. The system delivers. Romanians pay.

He listed those affected: adults with disabilities, transplant patients, researchers, farmers, and communities in Natura 2000 areas. Deputy Raluca Turcan said the suspension of two HGs alone puts €140 million at risk.

140 million euros. In one stroke. That is how much the annulment of the two government decisions costs us.

She added that the situation "endangers the rule of law, European funds, and Romania's very capacity to reform." PNL secretary general Dan Motreanu warned that state institutions risk being turned into a "blocking mechanism" and that justice should not become "an actor in political competition."

The legal dispute

PSD leader Sorin Grindeanu announced on 27 July that the party had filed preliminary complaints against 12 HGs adopted on 23 July, asserting they exceeded the constitutional limits of a dismissed government. He said the acts "promote new policies and represent exercises of ministerial attributions after the expiry of the 45-day term." The government countered that all decisions had been adopted with legal approvals from the Ministry of Justice and other ministries. Prime Minister Bolojan stated that the acts followed "legal procedure, with the corresponding approvals." The government also warned that Romania could face penalties of €1 billion for the biodiversity strategy HG and tens of millions for two others. The biodiversity HG, part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan worth over €800 million, will not be published in the Official Gazette but sent to Parliament as a bill to avoid further legal blockages.

All target the exceeding of constitutional and legal limits of the mandate of a dismissed Government, because they promote new policies and represent exercises of ministerial attributions after the expiry of the 45-day term.

What comes next

The court's decisions are executorie de drept (enforceable by law) and remain in place until the substantive annulment cases are heard. The government can file an appeal within five days of communication; for HG 571/2026, an appeal does not suspend the enforcement. The court, presided over by judge Liana Arsenie, has not yet released its reasoning. The conflict adds to tensions between the PNL-led interim government and the PSD, which brought the no-confidence vote that toppled the Bolojan cabinet. PNL figures have linked the court's move to Bolojan's earlier initiatives to reform special pensions for magistrates and delay financial benefits for judges.