New consultations on Big Brother laws at Cotroceni

President Klaus Iohannis invites leaders of the parliamentary parties to a new round of talks on cyber security laws (also called Big Brother laws) at Cotroceni Palace on Wednesday, sources within the Presidential Administration told local media.

This is the fourth round of consultations that President Iohannis is having with the parliamentary parties. The first round tackled the increase of the Army budget, the following two ones were debating on the electoral laws and on the legislative priorities in Parliament.

The Romanian Constitutional Court ruled in January that the cyber security law is unconstitutional on the whole, arguing it lacks the notice of the Supreme Council of National Defense (CSAT) and has also deficiencies related to coherence, clarity and predictability.

The Court reproached that several provisions of the law were not complying with the Romanian fundamental law, such as the notion of “cyber infrastructure holders”, the provision stipulating the Romanian Intelligence Service is designated the national authority in the cyber security field, lack of legal guarantees – authorization by a court, the audit authority of cyber security, etc.

Liberal lawmakers have challenged the cyber security to the Constitutional Court on December 23, 2014. The law had been unanimously passed by the Senate a week ago, so, paradoxically, the Liberal and the Democrat Liberal senators had also voted in favour of the draft initiated by the Government. Later on, Liberals have argued the law is confining the right to the private digital life.

Three weeks after the CC decision, President Klaus Iohannis was informing that consultations for the cyber security law package would be resumed. A Cyber Security Operative Committee will proceed the talks with the parliamentary parties, intelligence services and civil society to see that the new laws are complying with the citizens’ rights and freedom and also to serve as a tool for the services.