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This guide describes the law in Romania. Documents are filed in Romanian; the translation is a courtesy, and the legally binding text is the Romanian one.
Citizens can not only ask; they can also propose, themselves, a law, a change to the Constitution or a local council decision. This requires a number of signatures, collected under strict rules. Unlike a petition, an initiative that meets the conditions obliges the authority to debate it.
There are four levels, from the closest to the widest:
| Level | Who decides | How many signatures | Where it is filed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local | the local or county council | at least 5% of the voters in the commune, town or county | with the general secretary of the UAT (administrative-territorial unit) |
| Law | Parliament | at least 100,000 | at the Senate or the Chamber of Deputies |
| Constitution | Parliament, then a referendum | at least 500,000 | at the Senate or the Chamber of Deputies |
| European Union | the European Commission | at least 1 million, from at least 7 states | with the European Commission |
We start with the local level, the most within reach, and work upwards.
A. The local citizens' initiative (local or county council)
Citizens can propose a draft decision to the local council or the county council where they are domiciled. The draft then enters the council's ordinary procedure, like any other draft.
Step A1 — Write the draft decision
What to do: Draft the decision and an explanatory report (referat de aprobare), that is, the text in which you explain why the decision is needed. The draft is written according to the rules of legislative drafting, like any council draft. The general secretary of the commune, town or county and the town hall's departments must help you with the drafting.
Where: At home, then with the general secretary of the UAT, for support.
Documents: The draft decision and the explanatory report.
Cost: 0 lei.
Time: As long as it takes you to write it.
Legal basis: OUG nr. 57/2019 privind Codul administrativ (Government Emergency Ordinance No. 57/2019 on the Administrative Code), art. 136 alin. (1), (2) and (8) lit. a), legislatie.just.ro.
Step A2 — File the draft with the general secretary
What to do: One or more citizens with the right to vote (the initiators) file the proposed draft with the general secretary of the UAT. The general secretary posts it, to inform the public, and gives you the forms for the lists of supporters.
Where: With the general secretary of the town hall (for the local council) or of the county council.
Documents: The draft decision and the explanatory report.
Cost: 0 lei.
Time: One day.
Legal basis: Codul administrativ, art. 247 alin. (1)–(4), legislatie.just.ro.
Step A3 — Collect the signatures
What to do: Collect the signatures of at least 5% of the voters entered in the Electoral Register (Registrul electoral) with their domicile or residence in that commune, town or county.
- Signatures are collected only on the forms received from the general secretary.
- The list records: surname, first name, domicile, series and number of the identity document, and signature.
- Only voters with their domicile or residence in the unit whose council will debate the draft may sign.
Where: Wherever you meet supporters from the locality or the county.
Documents: The supporters' list forms.
Cost: Printing the forms.
Time: The Administrative Code does not set a deadline for collecting signatures. The council's rules of organisation and functioning may have their own rules, which differ from one locality to another: ask the general secretary for them when you file the draft.
Good to know: The Administrative Code says only that the threshold is calculated in relation to the voters entered in the Electoral Register, without saying as of what date. When you file the draft, ask the general secretary in writing for the number of voters against which the lists will be checked, so that you know from the start how many signatures you need.
Legal basis: Codul administrativ, art. 247 alin. (2), (4), (5) and (6), legislatie.just.ro.
Step A4 — File the lists; the draft enters the council's procedure
What to do: File the lists with the general secretary. Once the general secretary has checked the documentation, the draft follows the council's ordinary procedure: the reports of the town hall's specialist departments and the opinion of the council's specialist committees, then inclusion on the agenda and the vote.
Where: With the general secretary of the UAT.
Documents: The signed lists of supporters, in original.
Cost: 0 lei.
Time: The Administrative Code does not set a deadline for the general secretary to check the lists. After the check, the reports and opinions must be drawn up within 30 days at most of the registration of the draft, for ordinary meetings.
Good to know: The council must debate the draft, but it is not obliged to adopt it. As initiators, you can withdraw your draft at any time.
Legal basis: Codul administrativ, art. 136 alin. (3)–(11) and art. 247 alin. (7), legislatie.just.ro.
B. The citizens' legislative initiative (a law)
At least 100,000 citizens with the right to vote can propose a law to Parliament.
The thresholds:
- at least 100,000 signatures from citizens with the right to vote;
- the signatories must come from at least a quarter of the country's counties, and in each of these counties, or in the municipality of Bucharest, there must be at least 5,000 signatures. Romania has 41 counties, so a quarter means at least 11. The Constitution mentions the municipality of Bucharest alongside the counties, but does not say whether it counts towards this quarter; the check is carried out by the Constitutional Court. To be safe, collect at least 5,000 signatures in each of at least 11 counties, without relying on Bucharest.
What cannot be the subject of a citizens' initiative: fiscal matters, matters of an international nature, amnesty and pardon.
Step B1 — Form the initiative committee
What to do: Bring together at least 10 citizens with the right to vote to form the initiative committee. The committee may not include persons elected by universal suffrage (members of parliament, mayors, councillors and others), members of the Government, persons appointed by the Prime Minister, and those who, by law, may not be members of a political party (for example, judges and prosecutors (magistrați), active military personnel, police officers).
The committee is constituted by a declaration authenticated by a notary, which contains the purpose of the initiative, the surname, first name, voter status and domicile of the members, and a statement that none of them is in any of the situations of incompatibility. The committee elects a president by majority vote.
Where: At a notary public.
Documents: The members' identity documents; the declaration of constitution.
Cost: The notary's fee for authentication. It differs from one notary to another: ask the notary beforehand.
Time: One day at the notary.
Legal basis: Legea nr. 189/1999 privind exercitarea inițiativei legislative de către cetățeni (on the exercise of the legislative initiative by citizens), republished, art. 2 alin. (1)–(3) and (6), legislatie.just.ro; Constituția României (the Constitution of Romania), art. 40 alin. (3), legislatie.just.ro.
Step B2 — Write the legislative proposal
What to do: The committee drafts the proposal “in the form required for draft laws”, that is, article by article, like a real law, together with an explanatory memorandum signed by all the members of the committee.
Where: At home or with the help of a lawyer.
Documents: The legislative proposal and the explanatory memorandum.
Cost: 0 lei, if you write it yourselves.
Time: As long as it takes you to write it.
Legal basis: Constituția României, art. 74 alin. (4), legislatie.just.ro; Legea nr. 189/1999, art. 3 alin. (1), legislatie.just.ro.
Step B3 — Ask for the opinion of the Legislative Council
What to do: A member of the committee, authorised by the others, sends the proposal to the Legislative Council (Consiliul Legislativ) for its opinion. The authorisation is signed by the members of the committee and is accompanied by the authenticated declaration of constitution.
Where: At the Legislative Council.
Documents: The proposal, the explanatory memorandum, the authorisation, the committee's declaration of constitution.
Cost: Legea nr. 189/1999 provides for no fee for the opinion.
Time: The opinion is issued within 30 days at most of the referral.
Legal basis: Legea nr. 189/1999, art. 3 alin. (2), (3) and (5), legislatie.just.ro.
Step B4 — Publish the proposal in the Official Gazette
What to do: The legislative proposal, together with the opinion of the Legislative Council and the composition of the initiative committee, is published in the Official Gazette of Romania (Monitorul Oficial al României), Part I. The committee's authorised representative takes care of the publication. The 6-month period within which the initiative must be registered with Parliament runs from the day of publication.
Where: At the Official Gazette (monitoruloficial.ro).
Documents: The text of the proposal, the opinion and the composition of the committee.
Cost: 0 lei. Publication is exempt from any fee.
Time: Publication takes place within 30 days at most of the issuing of the opinion.
Legal basis: Legea nr. 189/1999, art. 2 alin. (4) and (5), art. 3 alin. (3)–(5), legislatie.just.ro.
Step B5 — Collect the signatures on the lists of supporters
What to do: Citizens show their support by signing the lists of supporters. The rules are strict, and an incorrect list is not taken into account:
- the lists are drawn up by locality, following the administrative-territorial organisation (in Bucharest, by sector);
- each list contains: the title of the proposal and the issue of the Official Gazette in which it was published, the county and the locality, then, for each supporter, the surname, first name, domicile, identity document, CNP (personal numerical code) and signature;
- the forms are printed on detachable, numbered A4 sheets, on one side only; the supporters' details are filled in by hand, at the moment of signing;
- no one may sign for someone else: delegation or representation is prohibited;
- each page is signed by a member of the committee or by a person authorised in writing by the committee, chosen from among the supporters;
- the signed lists are kept in files, by locality, bound with string and signed on the second cover.
A signature that was valid on the day it was given cannot later be withdrawn.
Where: Throughout the country, by county and locality.
Documents: The supporters' list forms.
Cost: Printing the forms and organising the collection.
Time: All the stages, from publication to registration with Parliament, must fit within 6 months.
Good to know: The law requires a handwritten signature on paper. Signatures collected online do not count. Legea nr. 189/1999, in the version in force on legislatie.just.ro, does not provide for an electronic signature.
Legal basis: Legea nr. 189/1999, art. 4, legislatie.just.ro.
Step B6 — Take the lists to the town halls for certification
What to do: File the folder with the original lists at the town hall of each locality. The mayor (or, in towns, officials authorised by the mayor) certifies that the signatories have the right to vote and the declared domicile, together with the police where necessary. Anyone can consult the folder and can challenge a signature in writing; the mayor asks the supporter to confirm it. The mayor's order can be challenged at the district court (judecătoria). Whatever cannot be certified is removed from the list.
Where: At the town hall of each locality from which you have signatures.
Documents: The folders with the original lists.
Cost: Legea nr. 189/1999 provides for no fee for certification.
Time: Certification takes place within 15 working days at most of the folder being registered at the town hall.
Legal basis: Legea nr. 189/1999, art. 5, legislatie.just.ro.
Step B7 — Register the initiative with Parliament
What to do: The committee registers the proposal with the competent Chamber, with the explanatory memorandum and the originals of the lists of supporters, on the basis of a request signed by the members of the committee. In the request you authorise at most 5 members who will support the initiative in Parliament.
The competent Chamber: as a rule, the Senate (Senatul); the Chamber of Deputies (Camera Deputaților) for international treaties and for the organic laws listed in art. 75 alin. (1) of the Constitution.
If, on the date of registration, not all the lists have been certified because of delays by the town halls, the president of the Chamber asks the Government to speed up the certification. Lists filed as a supplement are considered to be within the deadline if you bring them within 7 days at most of certification.
Where: At the Senate (senat.ro) or at the Chamber of Deputies (cdep.ro).
Documents: The request, the proposal, the explanatory memorandum, the certified original lists.
Cost: 0 lei.
Time: At the latest 6 months from publication in the Official Gazette. After this deadline, the proposal can be filed only as a new initiative, from the beginning.
Legal basis: Legea nr. 189/1999, art. 2 alin. (5) and art. 6, legislatie.just.ro; Constituția României, art. 75 alin. (1), legislatie.just.ro.
Step B8 — Review by the Constitutional Court, then debate in Parliament
What to do: Nothing, except follow the process. The Chamber sends the original lists to the Constitutional Court (Curtea Constituțională), which checks:
- whether the proposal is constitutional;
- whether the proposal was correctly published and whether the lists are certified;
- whether at least 100,000 signatures have been collected, with the required spread across counties.
The Court's decision is published in the Official Gazette. Once the Chamber receives it, the ordinary parliamentary procedure begins. The first Chamber to which it is referred has 45 days (60 for codes and complex laws); if it exceeds the deadline, it is deemed to have adopted the proposal.
Where: At the Constitutional Court, then in Parliament.
Documents: None.
Cost: 0 lei.
Time: The Court rules within 30 days of the referral.
Legal basis: Legea nr. 189/1999, art. 7, legislatie.just.ro; Constituția României, art. 74 and art. 75 alin. (2), legislatie.just.ro.
C. The initiative to revise the Constitution
The procedure is the same as for the legislative initiative (steps B1–B8, under Legea nr. 189/1999), but the thresholds are much higher:
- at least 500,000 signatures from citizens with the right to vote;
- the signatories must come from at least half of the country's counties, and in each of these counties or in the municipality of Bucharest there must be at least 20,000 signatures. Half of 41 counties means at least 21. As with the legislative initiative, the Constitution does not say whether the municipality of Bucharest counts among them: collect at least 20,000 signatures in each of at least 21 counties, without relying on Bucharest.
What can never be changed: the national, independent, unitary and indivisible character of the state, the republican form of government, territorial integrity, the independence of the judiciary, political pluralism and the official language. No revision may abolish fundamental rights and freedoms. The Constitution cannot be revised during a state of siege or emergency, nor in time of war.
What follows: The Constitutional Court rules within 60 days. Parliament adopts the revision by at least two thirds of the members of each Chamber (or three quarters, in a joint sitting, if mediation fails). The revision becomes final only after a referendum, held within 30 days at most of its adoption.
Legal basis: Constituția României, art. 150, art. 151 and art. 152, legislatie.just.ro; Legea nr. 189/1999, art. 1 and art. 7 alin. (3), legislatie.just.ro.
D. The European citizens' initiative, in brief
Through the European citizens' initiative, citizens of the Union can ask the European Commission to propose an EU law, in an area in which the Union has competence.
The thresholds:
- at least 1 million statements of support in total;
- the minimum threshold reached in at least 7 member states;
- for Romania: 23,760 signatures, for initiatives registered after 16 July 2024. Each state's threshold is the number of its Members of the European Parliament multiplied by the total number of Members of the European Parliament, according to the Commission's official table.
Step D1 — Form the group of organisers
What to do: Bring together at least 7 EU citizens living in 7 different member states. You create an organiser account on the official website.
Where: citizens-initiative.europa.eu.
Cost: 0 lei.
Step D2 — Request registration
What to do: Send the Commission the description of the initiative, in one of the official languages of the EU, with the details of the group of organisers and of the funding. The Commission does not register just any initiative, only those that meet the legal criteria.
Time: The answer comes within 2 months (sometimes 4).
Step D3 — Collect the signatures
What to do: Choose the start date, at the latest 6 months after registration, and notify it to the Commission 10 working days in advance. From that day you have 12 months to collect. Signatures are collected on paper or online, through the Commission's central system. EU citizens who have reached the voting age for European elections may sign; some states have lowered it to 16. For Romanian citizens, the minimum age is 18. They enter in the statement the number of their identity card, their passport or their CNP. Source: the Commission's official page, citizens-initiative.europa.eu/data-requirements_en.
Step D4 — Verification of the signatures and submission
What to do: Within 3 months at most of the end of collection, send the signatures to the national authorities, which have 3 months to verify them. After the last certificate, you have 3 months to submit the initiative to the Commission. In Romania, the statements are verified by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (Ministerul Afacerilor Interne), through the Directorate General for Persons Records (Direcția Generală pentru Evidența Persoanelor). Source: citizens-initiative.europa.eu.
Step D5 — The answer
What follows: Within 1 month, you meet the Commission. Within 3 months, you present your initiative at a public hearing in the European Parliament. Within 6 months, the Commission publishes a communication saying what it will do and why. The Commission is not obliged to propose the law requested.
Legal basis: Regulation (EU) 2019/788 on the European citizens' initiative, eur-lex.europa.eu; thresholds by state, the Commission's official page: citizens-initiative.europa.eu/thresholds_en; the steps: citizens-initiative.europa.eu/how-it-works_ro.
What this guide does not say
The guide does not help you draft the text of a law or a decision; for that it is best to work with a legal professional (jurist). It does not cover local or national referendums, nor the organisation of a campaign: money, volunteers, protection of the signatories' data. The rules, figures and fees may change: before you start, check them with the institution that applies them.