Romania’s Integrity Law faces changes after Constitutional Court rulings on asset declarations, comparing rules across Europe.
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Romania’s Integrity Law is undergoing amendments after the Constitutional Court declared several provisions unconstitutional, including those concerning financial interest declarations that were meant to replace wealth declarations, which are no longer public following a May 2025 CCR decision. International comparisons show varied approaches: Austria keeps all politician declarations private; France uses a hybrid system with some declarations public online and others secret; Bulgaria publishes full asset declarations; and Lithuania releases excerpts rather than complete original documents. In France, about 18,000 public officials must declare assets and interests, covering ministers, parliamentarians, and high-ranking local officials. Austrian legislation applies to ministers and state secretaries, prohibiting them from other paid activities. Spanish government members and deputies must file asset declarations, though the King is exempt but has filed one recently. In Lithuania, nearly 96,000 people are required to declare assets in 2025/2026. Bulgaria requires over 12,400 public officials to submit annual asset declarations to the Court of Accounts, with a separate system for the judiciary. The current Romanian law mandates declarations from various public figures, including ministers and local elected officials. Following the CCR ruling, mandatory publication of wealth declarations was removed. The new proposed legislation requires financial interest declarations—a combination of assets and interests—which will be made public using ranges (e.g., between 25,000 and 50,000 euros) instead of exact figures for location or price. This new law has also been challenged by the CCR. Asset declarations typically include real estate, financial holdings, vehicles, and debts, while interest declarations cover professional activities and board positions. Family asset disclosure varies significantly: Lithuania includes spouses and children under 18; France requires disclosing spousal professional activities to check for conflicts of interest but excludes children’s assets; Spain generally requires personal declarations without mandatory inclusion of spouse’s assets; and Bulgaria includes data on spouses and minor children in all asset declarations.
