Romanian president expects new draft of magistrates’ pensions law within three weeks

Romania’s president Nicușor Dan said he expects a new draft of the magistrates’ pensions law to be completed within three weeks, expressing confidence that a political agreement will soon be reached, News.ro reported on October 25. The statement follows the Constitutional Court’s (CCR) decision on October 20 to reject the bill previously adopted by parliament and endorsed by the government.

Romania should meet a milestone related to magistrates’ pensions by the end of the month to prevent the loss of EUR 231 million in funding under the PNRR.

“The most important thing is that we have a problem: the magistrates’ pensions are at the same level as their salaries. But we have the political will in the coalition to solve this problem, and this is a fact. Moreover, there is a will for this problem to be solved by 2025,” president Dan said.

The head of state explained that the rejected draft had been prepared in line with previous CCR rulings, but acknowledged that “many lawyers have looked at the text and it is possible that some of them have seen small issues not related to substance, but to possible interpretation difficulties.”

Although the Court’s rejection was based on procedural grounds, political sources suggest that judges also expect softer retirement provisions before approving a new version.

President Dan has previously supported extending the transition period and allowing more favourable pension caps for magistrates. “If there are such issues, I am sure they will be corrected. The two big discussions on which a political agreement must be reached remain: the transition period and the amount of the pension in relation to the salary,” he added.

Prime minister Ilie Bolojan took a firmer stance, stressing that the CCR’s objection concerned the absence of a consultative opinion from the Supreme Council of Magistracy (CSM).

The prime minister suggested that the same draft could be resubmitted once the CSM’s opinion is obtained, an approach opposed by the Social Democratic Party (PSD), which called for substantial adjustments to ensure the bill’s compliance with constitutional requirements.

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/George Calin)