Romania receives seven notices from the Commission over incomplete transposition of EU directives

Romania is included in all seven groups of member states against which the European Commission has opened infringement procedures for failing to fully and timely transpose certain European directives. The cases cover very different areas, from the right of energy consumers to change suppliers and the new rules for the hydrogen market to combating money laundering, human trafficking, control of new psychoactive substances, the right to repair products, and reducing industrial pollution.

In each of these cases, the Commission sends Romania a letter of formal notice. This is the first formal step of the infringement procedure and does not constitute a definitive finding that Romania has breached EU law. The Romanian authorities have two months to respond, complete the transposition, and communicate the measures adopted. If the response is not considered satisfactory, the Commission may move to the next stage and issue a reasoned opinion. Only later, if the problem persists, may the case be brought before the Court of Justice of the European Union.

In brief Romania appears in seven procedures opened by the Commission for the incomplete transposition of EU directives whose deadlines expired in the summer of 2026.

The cases concern the electricity market, hydrogen and decarbonized gases, combating money laundering, human trafficking, new psychoactive substances, the right to repair, and industrial emissions.

Romania has two months in each case to respond to the Commission and notify the complete transposition measures.

The most extensive case concerns the new Industrial Emissions and Livestock Farming Directive, for which the Commission sent notices to all 27 member states.

Regarding the rules for hydrogen and decarbonized gases, the Commission says that only Italy had notified complete transposition by the time of the assessment.

The first procedure concerning Romania relates to the new rules on the organization of the electricity market. The directive adopted in 2024 strengthened consumers’ right to choose and change their supplier and introduced a right to energy sharing, allowing households and other consumers to participate more directly in the production and use of electricity. Member states were required to communicate the transposition of these provisions by 17 July 2026, but the Commission found that 18 countries, including Romania, had not notified complete transposition by the deadline. Commission takes action to ensu…

A second case concerns the Directive on common rules for the internal markets in renewable gas, natural gas, and hydrogen. The legislative act establishes a European framework for hydrogen infrastructure and the hydrogen market and updates the rules applicable to natural gas, with the aim of facilitating the integration of renewable and low-carbon gases while maintaining security of supply and energy affordability. The main transposition deadline was 5 August 2026, and the Commission states that, among the 27 member states, only Italy had notified complete transposition at the time of the assessment. Romania is therefore among the other 25 states receiving letters of formal notice. Commission takes action to ensu…

The situation is also confirmed by the text of the directive, which requires member states to adopt and communicate to the Commission the main national measures necessary to apply the new rules by 5 August 2026. The directive establishes a common framework for decarbonizing the natural gas and hydrogen markets and introduces, among other things, specific rules for hydrogen network operators. EUR-Lex

The third case in which Romania appears is related to the Sixth Anti-Money Laundering Directive. The Commission considers that 18 member states have not fully notified the measures necessary for certain provisions that were to be transposed by 10 July 2026. These concern in particular access to beneficial ownership registers for competent authorities, self-regulatory bodies, obliged entities, and persons demonstrating a legitimate interest. The regime seeks to enable the identification of the persons who ultimately control companies and other legal structures and to provide authorities with up-to-date information for investigating money laundering and terrorist financing. Commission takes action to ensu…

The July deadline is also provided for in the European legislative text, which requires member states to communicate to the Commission the authorities and categories of persons authorized to consult beneficial ownership information. The directive forms part of the new European anti-money-laundering architecture, alongside the single regulation and the new Authority for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism. EUR-Lex

Romania also appears among the 20 states targeted for the incomplete transposition of the revised Directive on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings. The reform adopted in 2024 expands the tools available to authorities for investigating and prosecuting new forms of exploitation, including those carried out online, and strengthens victim protection. Among other things, states must establish formal national mechanisms for referring victims to the competent services, designate contact points for cross-border cases, appoint national coordinators, and adopt national action plans updated periodically. Commission takes action to ensu…

The transposition deadline for this directive was 15 July 2026. The legislative text explicitly provides for the obligation of member states to adopt the necessary legislative, regulatory, and administrative measures and to communicate the main national provisions to the Commission. EUR-Lex

A separate procedure concerns the inclusion of three new psychoactive substances in the European definition of a drug. Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, and Slovakia are listed by the Commission among the states that have not communicated complete transposition of the delegated directive. The three substances, 2-MMC, NEP, and 4-BMC, were added to the European framework on offenses and penalties related to illicit drug trafficking, so that they can be subject to harmonized controls and facilitate cross-border police and judicial cooperation. The deadline for communicating the national measures had been 12 July 2026. Commission takes action to ensu…

Another case has a direct effect on consumer rights. Romania is among the states that have not communicated complete transposition of the Directive on the right to repair, adopted to facilitate the repair of products instead of their replacement. The rules give consumers the right to request the repair of certain products, including smartphones, washing machines, and refrigerators, even after the expiry of the legal guarantee in situations covered by the directive. Manufacturers must provide repair at a reasonable price, within a reasonable period, and provide clear information about the services available.

Romania is targeted both for the main directive and for the delegated directive that subsequently extended the scope of the right to repair to certain household heating appliances. For both acts, the transposition deadline was 31 July 2026. The Commission identified 18 states that had not notified complete transposition in each case and opened procedures against them. Commission takes action to ensu…

The most extensive action in the package concerns the revised Industrial Emissions and Livestock Farming Directive. This time, the Commission sent letters of formal notice to all 27 member states, after none had notified complete transposition by the 1 July 2026 deadline. The existing European framework applies to more than 50,000 industrial installations and requires the use of the best available techniques and compliance with emission levels. The reform adopted in 2024 tightens pollution-reduction requirements, seeks to reduce the use of hazardous chemicals, expands the scope of application, and strengthens public rights.

One of the changes with a direct legal impact is the introduction of a right to seek compensation for damage to health caused by illegal pollution. Consequently, the delay in transposition concerns not only the technical obligations of industrial installations but also the national mechanisms through which affected persons can exercise the rights introduced by European legislation. Commission takes action to ensu…

The seven letters received by Romania stem from the same Commission exercise to verify transposition, but they do not constitute a single legal case. Each directive generates its own procedure, with its own response from the Romanian authorities and its own subsequent assessment by the Commission. Some of the delays are widespread across the EU, the most obvious example being the directive on industrial emissions, while in other cases the group of states concerned is considerably smaller.

Nor does the existence of a letter of formal notice automatically mean that a country has adopted no measures. The procedures announced by the Commission concern states that have not communicated complete transposition by the established deadline. A state may therefore have adopted some of the necessary measures but not transposed all the provisions or not fully notified the Commission. This is why the next stage depends on the explanations and measures communicated during the two-month period.

https://2eu.brussels/ro/news/romania-primeste-sapte-notificari-de-la-comisie-pentru-transpunerea-incompleta-a-unor-directive-ue