On 30 and 31 January, the Department for the Execution of Judgments carried out a mission to Bucharest, organised in cooperation with the Permanent Representation of Romania to the Council of Europe and with the Agent of the Government of Romania before the European Court.
Representatives of the Department took part in consultations on the draft national action plan on mental health, which is being developed to implement several judgments of the European Court delivered between 2012 and 2021, in particular concerning the legality of involuntary placements of people with mental health conditions or disabilities in psychiatric hospitals or residential social care facilities, the mechanism for decision-making support or representation for these people, and the problems of overcrowding and inadequate conditions and care available in psychiatric hospitals.
The Head of the Prime Minister's Chancellery attended the consultations, which were chaired by the Counsellor of State in the Chancellery. They took place in the framework of the dedicated inter-institutional working group set up by the government, which brings together representatives of more than 20 stakeholders from the central government, the judiciary, autonomous authorities and institutions, professional organisations, national human rights institutions and monitoring bodies, and civil society.
The exchanges covered aspects such as the strategic approaches under the draft national action plan, the strengthening of the institutional capacity of relevant public stakeholders, the development of community-based mental health services, the strengthening of the support and protection system for people with disabilities, the necessary legislative interventions, infrastructure and material conditions in some psychiatric hospitals, human resources policies and capacity building for relevant professionals, inter-institutional cooperation, and budget.
Lastly, avenues for further technical cooperation in this area between the Romanian authorities and the Council of Europe were identified and discussed.
