Romania’s
Justice Minister, Cătălin Predoiu, has warned the speculation in the public
sphere regarding the so-called special pensions that don’t observe the
contribution principle, may disrupt the activity of courts of law and
prosecutors’ offices, as many magistrates might choose to mass-retire. In the
last days alone, 65 retirement requests were submitted to the Superior Council
of Magistracy (CSM). The applicants include a few sonorous names, such as a CSM
judge, Gabriela Baltag, the head of the former Special Section investigating
Crime in Justice, Adina Florea, or Felix Bănilă, the former head of the
Directorate Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT).
Minister
Predoiu met with representatives of the top institutions in the field, giving
assurances that the government is currently not examining any project aimed at
modifying the current legislation in the justice system. Any such project, the
Romanian official argued, will have to undergo a number of steps prior to its
adoption, and the Ministry will issue an opinion only after ensuring
magistrates stay independent and the justice system will remain efficient.
Pensions are a constituent of the magistrates’ status, Cătălin Predoiu went on
to say. The Justice Minister called for public responsibility when debating the
issue, including from magistrates. Concerns spiked after the World Bank
finalized its plan for reforming the pension system in Romania, also suggesting
that current pensions should observe the contribution system, by scrapping any
privileged categories exempted from this rule.
Additionally, the World Bank
wants all special pensions to be capped at the level of income reported during
magistrates’ term in office, while the retirement age of magistrates should be
the same as for any other public worker. Pension reform is a top goal under the
Recovery and Resilience Plan, which the authorities have agreed upon with EU
representatives and which should be completed by the end of the year. In a
country with some five million pensioners receiving the equivalent of some 400
EUR every month, the issue of special pensions, which in some cases are ten
times higher, can produce social and political unrest, while lawmakers are
doing little to remedy such anomalies. Government spokesman Dan Cărbunaru says
that any modifications the government is considering to implement in the
pension system, including with regard to the retirement age, will not be
implemented abruptly lest they should cause disruptions. As regards the
milestone regarding special pensions the government must fulfill as part of its
commitments at EU level, Dan Cărbunaru said a special task force was created at
government level, with Labor Ministry specialists conducting analyses and
consulting with the World Bank. (VP)