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This article investigates how the postcommunist Romanian political regime was defined, with particular emphasis on the settlement of legal conflicts of a constitutional nature through the decisions of the Constitutional Court. Through this research we aim to identify the successive incarnations of the political regime, having as a reference the dynamics of the postcommunist Romanian political regime in relation to the continuous and varied relationship of the forces of political actors, as well as to the way in which they interpret and apply the constitutional norms. The originality of this research lies in the fact that in the analysis of the Romanian political regime we will combine the normative-institutional perspective with the perspective of the political and institutional practice, in order to obtain a complex picture, overall, on the way of formation and articulation of the Romanian political regime. The article highlights a permanent evolution of the political regime in relation to the continuous and varied relations determined by the forces relations of the political actors, as well as by the way in which the constitutional rules are interpreted and applied by them. The intrusion into the Constitutional Court’s jurisprudence in settling legal conflicts of a constitutional nature confirms the analysis of the political scientist Giovanni Sartori, according to which the alternation of the nature of the post-communist Romanian political regime is determined by the political and institutional practice built in relation to the political relationship between the president and the parliamentary majority. Defining the nature of the Romanian political regime helps us to understand the dynamics and frequency of constitutional crises -
This second part of the study addressing the legal regime of the exception of unconstitutionality and the impact of such legal instrument on ensuring the constitutional order focuses on the admissibility conditions of requests to refer an exception of unconstitutionality to the Constitutional Court of Romania as well as the grounds for finding an exception of unconstitutionality inadmissible. In this context, there is strong emphasis placed on divergent case law approaches, which seems symptomatic for a certain „eccentric” tendency of construing the long-standing type of constitutional review enshrined in the Romanian Constitution. The conclusions of the study suggest the need for giving careful consideration to the manner of tackling such referrals to the Constitutional Court so as to remain in line with the structural requirements relating to the constitutional review as enshrined in our fundamental law.
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On 24 May 2018, the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova adopted the Law of RM No 85/2018 „For amending and supplementing the Labour Code of the Republic of Moldova No 154/2003”, aimed at adjusting the national legislation to Council Directive 98/59/EC of 20 July 1998 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to collective redundancies. Thanks to these additions, operated in the Labour Code of the Republic of Moldova (hereinafter – the CM of RM), the Moldavian legislator has expressly enshrined the institution of collective redundancy. The present study aims at the multi-faceted elucidation of the legal regime of collective redundancy in the light of national legislation, of the European standards, as well as of doctrinal opinions. The identification and configuration of the circumstances and of the data underlying this research helped the authors of the study to scientifically elucidate the concept of collective redundancy and to determine the general procedure for its accomplishment.
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The evolution of technology has facilitated the development of the so-called collaborative economy. Through collaborative online platforms, which „remove” the borders between states, various services such as short-term housing rental (Airbnb type), urban transport (Uber type), pet-sitting (PetBacker type), and others are provided. In Romania, the activities specific to the collaborative economy are in full development, in the context of the absence of some regulations specific in the matter. The purpose of the paper is to determine the role of the service provider in electronic contracts concluded through collaborative platforms and to which rules they must be subjected, taking as reference system the service provider with the habitual residence in Romania. It is analysed only the situation of service providers – natural persons, which can be grouped into two categories: a category of persons providing various services on an occasional basis, in leisure time, in order to obtain additional incomes (the so-called prosumers), category which is the basis of the collaborative economy, and the second category, which includes the persons who provide services on a regular basis, on a continuous basis, on their own and aiming at obtaining profit. The distinction between non-professional and professional service providers is difficult to achieve; there are no criteria in the legislation in the field of services for this purpose. The quality of professional or non-professional must therefore be analysed on a case-by-case basis, using the rules of the common law. The legal regime depends on the classification of the service provider into one category or another. The contracts in the collaborative economy are concluded by means of online collaborative platforms. Those operating in Romania mostly have their headquarters abroad, which awards international character to the contracts concluded. Using the regulations in force, there are analyzed the modalities to determine the law applicable to contracts and the authority competent to solve the disputes, which may arise between the service provider and the platform or between the service provider and their user. The study captures only a small part of the collaborative economy phenomenon and seeks to clarify some day-to-day situations, which can give rise to some complex legal problems. -
Starting with 25.05.2018 the Regulation (EU) No 679/2016, also referred to as Regulation on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data has entered into force. This regulation, although replacing the previous applicable directive in the matter, respectively Directive 95/46/EC, taking over from its functioning principles, brings significant novelties from the point of view of the general framework in the matter of protection of personal data, circumstantiating and detailing many of the mandatory rules in the matter. By proposing to create a common framework at unional level, the Regulation No 679/2016 provides the necessary clarifications on the background of the galloping technological evolution and the accelerated growth of cross-border personal data flows. To that end, the aim pursued by the mentioned Regulation is to create a coherent and sound framework in the matter of data protection in the Union, in the context of a climate of confidence which will allow digital economy to expand on the internal market. It is, thus, intended to ensure that individuals benefit by a greater control over personal data, as well as to consolidate legal and practical security for the natural persons, the economic operators and the public authorities. Likewise, the Regulation strictly stipulates the premises in which any processing of personal data may be considered as being lawful and, thus, allowed, at the same time with the circumstantiation of the conditions in which the person concerned may be considered to have given his consent to the forecast processing. Also, a central element of the new European legislative initiative is to provide the necessary measures to ensure the transparency of the processing of personal data. In this respect, there are configured the obligations devolving on the operators of such data to inform the persons whose data are processed, as well as the cases and conditions in which the natural persons are entitled to rectify, erase or restrict the use of data concerning them.
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The article sets out two components of the case of cassation on the application of the punishment within other limits than those provided by law: the scope of incidence the case of cassation in question and the solutions that may be given subsequent to the admissibility of the means of the appeal in cassation and the cassation of the challenged judgment, in this case. In the scope of incidence of the case of cassation on the application of punishments within other limits than those provided by the law several assumptions of violation of the principle of legality of the criminal law sanctions are included. First, the appeal in cassation is suitable to remedy illegalities which relate to the very nature of the sanction applied: punishment or educational measure. Secondly, an appeal in cassation may be filed to remedy illegalities related to punishments, regardless of their nature: main, complementary or accessory. Thirdly, within the category of main punishments, by way of appeal in cassation illegalities concerning the placement of punishment outside the special limits can be remedied, in the absence of a individualization cause. Under a first aspect, there may be invoked illegalities concerning the placement of punishment below the special minimum limit, in the absence of a mitigating cause. Under a second aspect, there may be invoked illegalities concerning the placement of the punishment over the special maximum limit, in the absence of an aggravation cause. Also within the category of the main punishments, by way of appeal in cassation there may be remedied illegalities resulting from the misapplication of the criminal treatment of the various causes of individualization.
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The legality of judgments adopted by courts, the effectiveness of law enforcement functions and the enforcement of criminal repression in respect of offenders are the priority issues that justice reform in the Republic of Moldova must address. The existence of an independent and impartial judiciary is an inherent attribution of a state without which a democratic society can not be built. And, the protection of legality in the field of justice is indispensably conditioned by ensuring the achievement of the purposes of the judicial process.
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Competența materială de a judeca propunerea de arestare preventivă a inculpatului față de care s-a pus în mișcare acțiunea penală pentru infracțiunea de nerespectare a regimului armelor și munițiilor, prevăzută de art. 342 C.pen., aparține judecătorului de drepturi și libertăți din cadrul judecătoriei, chiar dacă în cauză s-a început urmărirea penală in rem pentru infracțiunea de constituirea unui grup infracțional organizat, prevăzută de art. 367 C.pen.
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Este foarte dificilă cercetarea noțiunei de ordine publică și determinarea conținutului acestei noțiuni este cu totul anevoioasă. Nu există, poate, în drept și în sociologie, o mai confuză noțiune, dar care să-și găsească mai variate câmpuri de aplicație și de care să se facă uz mai des, mai ales în ultimele timpuri, atât în relațiile particulare dintre indivizi, cât și în legăturile și raporturile dintre Stat și individ de o parte sau dintre State, de altă parte. Stabilirea conținutului exact al ordinei publice și analizarea tuturor efectelor sale depășesc cu mult cadrul normal al unui articol, chiar mai lung, dintr’o revistă juridică. Vom căuta totuși, în cele ce urmează, a schița rapid datele problemei, fără a pretinde că, în acest fel, am epuizat subiectul; de altminteri, intenția noastră nu este decât de a face o sumară introducere în examinarea acestui subiect a cărui analiză poate face obiectul unui întreg tratat.
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Marcarea Centenarului Marii Uniri (1918–2018) a ridicat fundamentala problemă a abordării unitare, din perspectiva succesiunii în timp a reglementărilor, impactului lor social și evoluției ideilor, a dezvoltării juridice a României la scara ultimului secol, relevându-se, totodată, și pe această bază, mizele prezentului și provocările viitorului pe termen mediu și lung. Acest eveniment a oferit ocazia unei analize complete și în spiritul adevărului istoric a fenomenului complex și major al unificării juridice interbelice – legislativă, judiciară și doctrinară – ca parte inseparabilă a procesului de desăvârșire a unității naționale și fundament organic al științei dreptului și culturii juridice românești. -
The courts can not censure the decisions of the Constitutional Court in terms of the statements which they contain with regard to the unconstitutionality of a legal norm and the impact they have on the way of settling the ongoing disputes, respectively not finalized through the pronunciation of some irrevocable judgments, following the cessation of the application of that norm by declaring it unconstitutional. They have the obligation to apply the decisions of the Constitutional Court to their letter and spirit and they can not add by way of interpretation elements that are capable of restricting them or, respectively, to extend their scope. By the Decision of the Constitutional Court No 369/2017 it has been stated that all the judgments pronounced after the publication of the decision in the Official Gazette of Romania are subject to appeal, in the cash assessable applications, except for those exempted according to the criterion of matter, expressly provided in the theses covered by Article XVIII (2) of the Law No 2/2013. In the application of this decision, the High Court of Cassation and Justice – the Panel for the settlement of some matters of law, by the Decision No 52/2018 has stated that the effects of the decision of unconstitutionality will concern all judgments pronounced after the date of its publication, but in trials commenced after 20 July 2017. By this statement, the decision of the Constitutional Court No 369/2017 has been amended without justification under the pretext of the settlement of the matter of law concerning the application of that decision over time. By the Decision of the Constitutional Court No 454/2018 it was established that the High Court of Cassation and Justice does not have the power to rule on the effects of the decision of the Constitutional Court or to give binding rulings which are contrary to the decisions of the Constitutional Court, but has the obligation to apply that decision in such a way suitable to its considerations to the case subjected to judgment. The Decision No 454/2018 has an interpretative character and therefore, by way of derogation from the principle according to which the decisions of the Constitutional Court apply only for the future, it has a retroactive effect, in the sense that it is put into application from the date when the Decision of Constitutional Court No 369/2017 began to take effect.
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Within the international trade relations, risks may currently arise from certain facts or events that result in conflict situations between the parties involved in commercial operations, having as consequence the appearance of the litigation. In this context, a special place is occupied by maritime litigation, a complex, plurivalent dispute, combining elements emerging from international trade law, transport law and maritime law. The present study aims to identify and analyze the main issues that give the maritime litigation a particular nature, conferring it, legally, a specific character compared to other international trade disputes. The objectives of the research are circumscribed to the analysis of the characteristics of the maritime litigation, of the causes of its occurrence and of its conditions of manifestation. Within the paper, special attention was devoted to studying how to instrument the maritime litigations, with the methods of the maritime technique and the legal and economic solutions used in this matter. With regard to the procedures of settlement of maritime litigations, the study focuses on highlighting the operational phases, the analysis of evidence and of other issues that configure the applicable procedural framework in case the parties involved have expressed the option to settle the dispute for the contentious procedure. Examining the specific features of this original type of disagreement has highlighted a pronounced pragmatic character over the theoretical argumentation taking into account the force of maritime or harbour regulations or usages in this field. The notion of maritime litigation and its regulation became outstanding at a stage preceding the emergence of maritime law. Over time, seafarer’s practices have created usages and traditions specific to trade in goods carried by sea, which have led to the unification and even codification thereof in the context of classical maritime law. The scope of the notion of maritime litigation is much wider than that of the maritime trial and has an earlier application over time, whereas only a part of the maritime litigations lead to a proper judicial trial or to a maritime arbitration. Maritime litigations can be defined as disputes between two or more parties involved in the maritime expedition or between the signatory parties to specific contracts used in all activities related to maritime trade. In this regard, disputes of a maritime nature may arise as a consequence of the non-performance or malfunction of maritime transport contracts, so that it is indicated to mention in these contracts some specific clauses, stating the modality and rules for solving such conflict situations, including the jurisdiction clause, since the non-inclusion of this clause raises disputes over the jurisdiction of the courts of such litigious cases. Maritime litigations are dealt with by the specialists in the field both in the ante-judicial and judicial stage, through the correct coordination of the parties involved and the professional settlement of all the litigious aspects. The specialist in maritime litigations should be a person with cumulative competencies in the technical, economic and legal field, maritime navigation and port exploitation. Solving major maritime disputes is a complex and laborious process, which requires pragmatism, accuracy, increased attention, quick decision and efficiency. The general procedure for dealing with this disagreement is carried out on the basis of a strictly technical, specialized methodology and requires going through several phases such as the finding the occurrence of the event or conflict-generating act, the notification of the parties involved, the collection and preservation of the evidence for defence or for the drawing up of the complaint, quantifying and filing the complaint, taking a decision on the modality of approach, the negotiation and pronunciation of the solution to finalize the case. The resolution of maritime litigations is based on the case law in the field, strongly influenced by international maritime conventions and on the relations created between the rules from various law systems, applicable in the field, in the context of assimilation and implementation of the international trade usages.
