Civic association in Romania seeks public referendum on full-contributory public pensions

The Declic Community has submitted a petition signed by roughly 90,000 Romanians to the Presidential Administration, calling on president Nicușor Dan to initiate a national referendum on the reform of special pensions. The civic group is demanding that all pensions follow the contributory principle and that the retirement age be the same for all professions, not only magistrates.

According to Declic, more than 300,000 retirees receive special pensions, which cost EUR 3.5 billion annually, or about 1% of GDP. However, part of the pensions received by the 300,000 recipients of special pensions is based on their past contribution.

The average public pension based on contributions is RON 2,811 (EUR 560), roughly ten times lower than that of magistrates. The highest special pension in March 2025 reached RON 43,072 (EUR 8,570) gross.

“Romania needs a transparent system in which each pension reflects the real contributions of the beneficiary, regardless of the profession or position held,” said Cătălina Hopârteanu, coordinator of the We Want a Referendum campaign.

She cited the example of magistrates, whose average pension of RON 25,000 (EUR 5,000) is 75% subsidised by the state, with contributions covering only about RON 6,000. Even under the government’s proposed reform, the state would continue to pay more than half of such pensions, she added.

The petition, which also requests participation in government debates on the pension reform, criticises the Ilie Bolojan government’s proposed changes as insufficient to address the structural inequities in the system.

“In Romania, there are categories of privileged people who receive disproportionately high pensions, without having contributed to the public system,” the petition states. “A pension must reflect contribution, not privilege.”

Declic argues that only a referendum initiated by the president can decisively address the issue by consulting the Romanian public directly.

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea)