CJEU overrules Romania’s High Court in major statute of limitations dispute

17 July 2026 The Court of Justice of the European Union ruled on Thursday, July 16, that the interpretation given by the High Court of Cassation and Justice regarding the statute of limitations for criminal liability is not compatible with European Union law in cases of serious fraud affecting the EU's financial interests. The ruling, given in the "Lin II,” has major implications for the Romanian judicial system and has effects on criminal cases that are still pending before the courts. In May 2022, Romania's Constitutional Court issued a ruling regulating the grounds for interrupting the limitation period in criminal matters, applicable to the period 2018–2022. Subsequently, the High Court first ruled that the Constitutional Court's decision applied retroactively back to 2014. The ruling