The year 2007 was one of the best moments to start debates and discussions on the necessity of a constitutional revision of the Romanian fundamental law. The decision by the Romanian Parliament to suspend the Romanian President and the campaign for the validation of this decision, the decision to call and organize the referendum for the introduction of the single constituency vote electoral reform, and the subsequent conflicts between the central institutions of the state have stirred discussions on specific constitutional provisions and their ammendments.
Asociatia Pro Democratia, therefore, decided to organize 15 public debates in 15 different Romanian cities in 2008 and to invite academics, NGO representatives, political party representatives at local level, journalists, and citizens to debate the necessity of modifying the constitution, the directions such modifications should follow, as well as the methods to achieve these modifications. „Does Romania need a constitutional reform?”, „What are the pros and cons of rethinking the relationship between Romanian public institutions?”, „Does regionalization have a constitutional dimension?” are just a few questions APD invites the participants of the debates to approach and answer.
By organizing these debates, Asociatia Pro Democratia aims at bringing this topic high on the agenda of Romanian citizens, at gathering their opinions and those of specific professional groups interested in the topic, and consequently at determining that the decisions Romanians will make within a consultative process – if and when organized by Romanian authorities on the topic – will be taken upon thorough consideration of the subject.
This project is implemented by Asociatia Pro Democratia with the financial support of the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
This article was published in Politeia Newsletter 48 - February 2008