Romania's president has refused a request from the justice minister to dismiss the county's top prosecutor, who has clashed with the government over its commitment to fight corruption.

President Klaus Iohannis on Friday said he wouldn't fire Prosecutor General Augustin Lazar, a critic of a judicial overhaul that he and others say will make it harder to prosecute senior officials for graft misdemeanors.

Last month, Justice Minister Tudorel Toader asked Iohannis to remove Lazar from his post based on a 63-page report that alleged mismanagement.

But Iohannis said Lazar was "doing a very good job ... this so-called evaluation by the justice minister doesn't adhere to legal" principles.

The European Union says it's concerned about the erosion of the rule of law in Romania, which holds the bloc's rotating presidency.