Legislation

(Adopted on December 8, 1991)

(Document Status on December 8, 1991)

Article 4 (Unity, No Discrimination)

(1) The State foundation is laid on the unity of the Romanian people.

(2) Romania is the common and indivisible homeland of all its citizens, without any discrimination on account of race, nationality, ethnic origin, language, religion, sex, opinion, political adherence, property, or social origin.

Article 6 (Minorities)

(1) The State recognizes and guarantees the right of persons belonging to national minorities, to the preservation, development, and expression of their ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and religious identity.

(2) The protecting measures taken by the Romanian State for the preservation, development, and expression of identity of the persons belonging to national minorities shall conform to the principles of equality and non-discrimination in relation to the other Romanian citizens

Article 7 (Romanians Abroad)

The State shall support the strengthening of links with the Romanians living abroad and shall act accordingly for the preservation development and expression of their ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and religious identity under observance of the legislation of the State of which they are citizens.

Article 13 (Language)

In Romania, the official language is Romanian.

Article 23 (Personal Liberty, Arrest)

(5) Any person detained or arrested shall be promptly informed, in a language he understands, of the grounds for his detention or arrest, and notified of the charges against him, as soon as practicable; the notification of the charges shall be made only in the presence of a lawyer of his own choosing or appointed ex officio.

Article 32 (Education)

(2) Education of all grades shall be in Romanian. Education may also be conducted in a foreign language of international use, under the terms laid down by law.

(3) The right of persons belonging to national minorities to learn their mother tongue, and their right to be educated in this language are guaranteed; the ways to exercise these rights shall be regulated by law.

Article 127 (Court Language)

(1) Procedure shall be conducted in Romanian.

(2) Citizens belonging to national minorities, as well as persons who cannot understand or speak Romanian, have the right to take cognizance of all acts and files of the case, to speak before the Court, and formulate conclusions, through an interpreter; in criminal trials, this right shall be ensured free of charge.

Article 148 (Limits to Amendment)

(1) The provisions of this Constitution with regard to the national, independent, unitary, and indivisible character of the Romanian State, the Republican form of government, territorial integrity, independence of the judiciary, political pluralism, and official language shall not be subject to revision

(2) Likewise, no revision shall be made if it results in the suppression of the citizens' fundamental rights and freedoms, or the safeguards thereof

(3) The Constitution shall not be revised during a state of siege or emergency or at wartime

Note: The complete text of the Constitution and further information on the constitutional background of Romania are provided by the International Constitutional Law Project at the University of Wuerzburg.

Top of page