GABRIEL ANDREESCU, LIVIU ANDREESCU THE EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS’ LAUTSI DECISION: CONTEXT, CONTENTS, CONSEQUENCES Gabriel Andreescu Department of Political Science, SNSPA, Bucharest, Romania. Email: editor.csi@gmail.com Liviu Andreescu English Department, Spiru Haret University, Bucharest, Romania. Email: andreescul@gmail.com Abstract: The paper discusses the context, substance and likely implications of the European Court of Human Rights’ very recent but, in our view, historic decision in the case of Lautsi v. Italy. The article offers an outline of the case and of the decision’s motivation, a presentation of the responses, and a brief discussion of its relevance to the similar Romanian case. We examine in some detail the objections leveled against the ruling, track the progress of the Court’s relevant jurisprudence on the issue, and suggest some possible consequences. Key Words: freedom of religion, religious manifestations, religious displays, crucifixes, public schools, European Court of Human Rights, rights of the child, margin of appreciation, subsidiarity Journal for the Study of Religions and Ideologies, 9, 26 (Summer 2010): 47-74. ISSN: 1583-0039 © SACRI