Constitutional Court president Elena-Simina Tănăsescu and seven other judges on Thursday received a Venice Commission delegation examining whether the law that cost Dominic Fritz his Timisoara mayoral mandate meets European standards, Digi24 reports.

Talks covered the retroactive effect of the rules after the Court ruled on 17 August that the so-called “Fritz amendment” is constitutional. The Commission was seized on 24 September at the request of USR lawmakers.

The meetings focused on the compatibility of transitional provisions of Law No. 180/2026 on local elected officials losing their mandates with European and international standards, the Court’s statement said.

Court representatives handed over Decision No. 883 of 17 August 2026, including the majority reasoning and the dissenting opinion of judges Simina Tănăsescu, Iulia Scântei and Dacian Cosmin Dragoș.

The delegation included Iain Cameron (Sweden), Regina Kiener (Switzerland), Tomáš Langášek (Czechia) and Secretariat staff. They scheduled talks with all institutions and parties involved.

Congress of Local and Regional Authorities president Gunn Marit Helgesen sought the opinion on 24 September after USR’s Diana Stoica and Sorin Șipoș flagged automatic mandate loss without individualized review.

Venice Commission opinions are advisory. The amendment, linked to Fritz’s ANI conflict-of-interest finding, was upheld 5–3 as constitutional.

In its reasoning the Court distinguished a new penalty for past acts from ongoing effects on the integrity of the office, arguing that protecting public functions justifies the legislature’s intervention.

“Fritz” law reviewed by Venice Commission at CCR — Digi24

Image: Wikimedia Commons — Timisoara City Hall (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Sources consulted: Fritz law reviewed by Venice Commission at CCR — Digi24.