Regarding the abolition of the National Agency against Trafficking in Persons (A.N.I.T.P.) and the National Agency for Equal Opportunities for Women and Men (A.N.E.S.), and the dismantling of three national domains of strategic importance

Dear Mr. Nicușor DAN, President of Romania,
Dear Mr. Marian-Cătălin PREDOIU, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Internal Affairs,

We are writing to you with deep concern regarding the Government’s intention to merge essential institutions responsible for protecting fundamental rights and the safety of citizens.

Romanian society is torn between two extremes, worn down and exhausted. We have barely managed to withstand a severe attack on the rule of law and democracy, and we are living through difficult times, facing a systematic assault on human rights. As a state governed by the rule of law, we bear the responsibility and obligation to strengthen every effort to combat and prevent such attacks.

The idea of merging two specialized agencies essential to the functioning of the rule of law, which safeguard individual and collective rights in Romania, is alarming. These institutions were created after immense pressure from civil society, the European Union, the United States, and other international forums. They were established through public protests, petitions, and years of effort to bring expertise and legitimacy in the eyes of citizens and the political environment alike.

We say “the idea of merging” even though we have already received the draft Government Emergency Ordinance abolishing these two agencies and creating a new national authority, none of this process has been conducted through public consultation or decision-making transparency, as required by Law no. 52/2003 on transparency in public administration. The abolition of such important agencies, decided by people who see only cuts—regardless of where they cut—without impact assessments, performance indicator analyses, or public consultation, and justified by the excuse of state budget constraints, is an act of administrative irresponsibility. Not only does this merger fail to reduce even a single position, but because it involves absorbing a structure from under the Ministry of Internal Affairs into a civilian body, it would also generate additional costs while eliminating institutional archives, expertise, and established working relations with national, European, and international law enforcement structures.

We remind you that Romania has an important role in defending the fundamental values of the European Union, as set out in the Treaty of Amsterdam, particularly with regard to strengthening the rights and interests of EU citizens and maintaining and developing the EU as a space of freedom, equality, security, and justice.

Since the year 2000, Romania has been recognized as a country of origin, transit, and destination for human trafficking.

The European Union, the United States, and international bodies such as the OSCE and the U.S. Department of State, through its annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, exerted major pressure on Romania to establish a specialized institution to coordinate the fight against human trafficking. Until then, activities were scattered across the Police, NGOs, and ministries, without centralized coordination.

Between 2002 and 2005, Romania was monitored by the European Union during the accession process, and one of the requirements from Brussels and Washington was to set up a central specialized agency, similar to other European states. Thus, the creation of the National Agency against Trafficking in Persons (A.N.I.T.P.) became a condition for aligning Romania with international anti-trafficking standards.

ANITP was created to respond to international pressure and internal needs for a single specialized institution to coordinate anti-trafficking policies, support victims, and ensure transparent reporting on the phenomenon.

The National Agency for Equal Opportunities for Women and Men (A.N.E.S.) has an even more complicated history, having gone through multiple creations, dissolutions, and reorganizations, each drawing criticism from European and international partners.

Founded in 2005 as part of Romania’s pre-accession obligations to align with EU Directives on gender equality and equal treatment, ANES was dissolved in 2009 as part of a governmental downsizing measure and turned into a department within the Ministry of Labor. The immediate consequence was strong criticism from the European Commission and women’s rights organizations for diminishing the institutional importance of gender equality.

It was re-established in 2014 under pressure from the European Commission, which required Romania to reinforce its institutional mechanism for promoting gender equality. In recent years, ANES has played an essential role in public policies, legislative development, and strengthening partnerships with both institutions and civil society.

Beyond their national importance, both agencies serve as Romania’s national contact points and rapporteurs to international organizations.

ANES reports to:

• The European Commission – through the High Level Group on Gender Mainstreaming;

• The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE);

• The United Nations – CEDAW Committee (periodic reports on the implementation of the CEDAW Convention);

• The United Nations – Commission on the Status of Women (annual reports on gender equality);

• The Council of Europe – as Romania’s national rapporteur under the Istanbul Convention (on preventing and combating domestic violence and violence against women).

ANITP reports to:

• The U.S. Department of State – contributing to the annual TIP Report;

• The European Commission – via the EU Anti-Trafficking Coordinator’s annual report;

• GRETA (Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings);

• The OSCE – as Romania’s national contact point for combating human trafficking;

• The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC);

• SELEC (Southeast European Law Enforcement Center) – for data exchange on regional criminal networks.

The abolition of these two agencies would have an immediate and major impact on international cooperation in justice and home affairs (police, prosecution, intelligence services) and on Romania’s external image in relations with the EU, the U.S., and international organizations such as the UN, OSCE, and the Council of Europe.

Mr. President, abolishing and moving these agencies under the Ministry of Labor would send a dangerous signal: that gender equality, domestic and gender-based violence, and human trafficking are secondary issues that can be minimized and treated as administrative appendices. The reality is that without strong, autonomous, and authoritative institutions, victims are left unprotected, and Romania risks losing the trust of its international partners.

Moreover, this decision would make victims more vulnerable, weaken prevention, and diminish rapid intervention capacity. Instead of strengthening institutions, Romania would risk signalling that the protection of its most vulnerable women, men, and children is negotiable.

Mr. Deputy Prime Minister, we urge you to reconsider this measure. Romania needs strong institutions, not weakened ones. It needs bold and coherent policies, not short-term fixes that sacrifice long-term protection of its citizens.

At a time when women are murdered every week, intimate partner violence has escalated, new forms of abuse are emerging online that are not yet addressed in domestic legislation, and human trafficking places Romania at the top of Europe’s most shameful crime rankings, we urge you to preserve these agencies in their current form, ensuring that they have the resources and authority necessary to fulfill their mission.

Merging these agencies would be a grave mistake, with severe repercussions for the rights of victims of domestic and gender-based violence, as well as human trafficking.

The future of a society is also measured by how it protects its women, children, and victims of abuse. Romania cannot afford to take steps backward.

In the hope that our call to uphold democratic values and the safety of the rule of law will be heard, we thank you.