The Bucharest Court of Appeal has rejected the “Elie Wiesel” Institute’s request for the Bucharest City Hall to rename “Mircea Vulcănescu” Street, arguing that Vulcănescu was a “war criminal.”
The brief decision states: “The court accepts the appeal of the General Council of Bucharest to notify the Constitutional Court. The Constitutional Court is approached to resolve the unconstitutionality exception of Article 2, letter c, combined with Article 13, paragraph 1 of Emergency Ordinance no. 31/2002, in its version before amendments by Law no. 241/2025. The request by the General Council for the High Court of Cassation and Justice to issue a preliminary ruling on certain legal matters is rejected as inadmissible.”
“The Sentence is Maintained Otherwise. Final”
“The appeal filed by the appellant-defendant, the Mayor of Bucharest, is dismissed as unfounded. The auxiliary intervention requests in support of the appellant-defendant Mayor are also dismissed as groundless. The appeal by the appellant-defendant General Council is accepted. Auxiliary intervention requests in support of the appellant-defendant General Council are granted. The sentence is partially overturned, only regarding the decision on the second claim, and upon reevaluation: The exception of lack of active procedural capacity and the lack of interest of the claimant in formulating the second claim are dismissed as unfounded. The second claim is rejected as unfounded. The rest of the sentence is maintained. Final. Issued today, 02.07.2026, under the conditions of Article 402, final sentence of the Civil Procedure Code. Document: Decision 02.07.2026,” as per the decision summary.
Background Information
This legal dispute began in 2022 when the “Elie Wiesel” Institute for the Study of the Holocaust in Romania requested the Capital City Hall to change the street name, citing provisions of Emergency Ordinance no. 31/2002, which prohibits public promotion of individuals convicted of war crimes.
Subsequently, a group of city councilors proposed a decision to change the street name, which had been established in 1993 under a city hall resolution.
In November 2024, the Bucharest Tribunal partially ruled in favor of the Institute. The court dismissed the request to annul the 1993 resolution that changed the street name but obliged the General Council to initiate procedures to rename the street.
The General Council filed an appeal.
On July 2, 2026, the Bucharest Court of Appeal accepted the appeal and dismissed the second claim, effectively removing the obligation to change the street name.
Meanwhile, the issue expanded. The “Elie Wiesel” Institute also requested the renaming of “Radu Gyr” Street in Cluj-Napoca, citing the same legislation.
In March 2025, the Institute publicly urged for accelerated procedures, stating they are part of the National Strategy for Combating Anti-Semitism.
Simultaneously, in several Romanian cities, street or institution names associated with individuals convicted in post-war trials were changed.
Who Was Mircea Vulcănescu?
Mircea Vulcănescu (1904 – 1952) was a sociologist, philosopher, economist, professor, and part of the notable interwar generation of leading intellectuals like Mircea Eliade, Emil Cioran, and Constantin Noica. He served as Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Finance under the government led by Ion Antonescu.
After the war, he was sentenced to eight years of hard labor under the law no. 312/1945, as part of the group of former Antonescu Administration officials.
He died in Aiud Prison on October 28, 1952.
The “Elie Wiesel” Institute maintains that Vulcănescu’s involvement in the Antonescu government subjects him to Emergency Ordinance no. 31/2002, prohibiting public promotion of individuals convicted for such acts, asserting that his final conviction from 1946 to 1948 for “war crimes” holds legal consequences.
Historians dispute the characterization of Mircea Vulcănescu as a “war criminal,” arguing that his government participation does not warrant such labels.
They also note that post-1946 trials occurred in the context of the communist regime’s establishment.
The Bucharest Court of Appeal’s decision on July 2, 2026, addresses an administrative dispute, not the “war criminal” status of Mircea Vulcănescu.
The reasoning, to be published later, will detail the arguments that led the court to conclude that no obligation exists in this case, a crucial element to watch for legally once the ruling is made public.
Împotriva articolelor redacției noastre, persoanele nemulțumite pot formula Contestație în termen de 10 zile de la publicarea articolului, la judecătoria Orășenească nr. 1 München Bayern Deutschland, in conformitate cu Legea federală Germană. Considerăm că nu se pot formula acțiuni la instanțele din România deoarece nici o persoană care activează în trustul nostru nu poate fi extrasă de sub jurisdicția federală germană. Considerăm că redacția noastră nu răspunde în fața autorităților din România ci doar celor federale sau civile germane. deoarece legea română nu are efecte de extraneitate asupra redacției chiar dacă subiectul știrilor face obiectul unor evenimente sau persoane din România și sunt scrise în limba română. Limba română nu este izvor de extraneitate a legii.
