Under the new law, femicide—the murder of a woman motivated by gender-based hatred or committed in the context of domestic violence—is now punishable by 15 to 25 years in prison or life imprisonment.
"Violence against women has for too long been either ignored or insufficiently addressed. This law turns the Romanian state's commitment to ensuring the safety of women and children into a concrete mechanism," the president's statement said.
Previously, such crimes were classified as aggravated murder under Romanian law, but the term has now been given a legal definition as a form of gender-based violence.
The initiators of the measure cited the rise in domestic crime as the need for stricter measures.
According to statistics, in the first eight months of 2025, there were 33 murders committed by family members, with women accounting for 69 percent of the victims.
On average, three women die at the hands of a family member every month in Romania.
The bill was submitted to parliament in October 2025 and received unprecedented support, signed by more than 270 lawmakers from all political parties.
Supporters emphasize that the law provides law enforcement agencies with tools to intervene before domestic violence leads to tragedy.