Coalition leaders meet Monday evening for a decision on magistrates’ pensions – sources

„We are meeting in the evening to make a decision on the reform of magistrates’ pensions,” political sources from the governing coalition tell MEDIAFAX.

Romanian President Nicușor Dan said on Sunday on Romania TV that magistrates’ pensions must be reduced and the retirement age must be increased, emphasizing that the current situation is not normal.

„I think everyone agrees that we need to reduce magistrates’ pensions. The question is by how much? And we need to increase the retirement age. The question is how gradual this transition should be. In short, it is a technical discussion. It is a dialogue that should have been created earlier,” Nicușor Dan specified.

Referring to the PNRR milestone regarding special pensions, Nicușor Dan said that there is a certain degree of flexibility on the part of the European Commission.

„There is always a degree of flexibility in discussions with the Commission. Theoretically, by November 28 we have to pass the law. In order to pass the law, there must be an opinion, it must also pass constitutional review and we must promulgate it. So there would be four stages. Now it is possible that we have some flexibility if we go through some of these stages in relation to the European Commission,” the president noted.

The prime minister announced on Friday that a decision on the new magistrates’ pensions project would be made by Tuesday within the coalition. Ilie Bolojan also said, in an interview with Radio Free Europe, that the good faith of the SCM members would be seen in the speed with which they would analyze the new project.

„Next week we will resubmit the project (…) in the first part of the week so that there is a reasonable period of time for the SCM to give us an opinion (…) Good faith will be seen in the term in which the opinion will be given,” explained prime minister Ilie Bolojan, adding that „if we do this by the 28th, we will no longer have problems with losing money, at least not in full.”