WB reportedly warns Romania's draft law on special pension is insufficient

The legislation drafted and passed by Romania's Government with a view of tackling the so-called "special pensions" of the magistrates and law-enforcement personnel (including intelligence services) fails to meet the promises of the milestones set under the Relaunch and Resilience Program (PNRR), preliminary findings of the World Bank experts currently visiting Bucharest reportedly conclude.

The main warning expressed by the World Bank concerns the preservation of special pensions, including those received by the approximately 150,000 pensioners of law enforcement agencies (MAI, MApN, SRI, STS, SPP, SIE), according to Cursdeguvernare.ro.

Called "service pensions", they would continue to be granted, although the European Commission requested the application of the contributory principle for all types of pensions.

The draft law analyzed by the WB not only fails to comply with the European Commission's requirements but brings new advantages to magistrates, particularly to those in top seats: the general prosecutor, the head of the anti-crime prosecution office DIICOT and the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA), the president of the Supreme Court and the members of the magistracy council CSM can retire immediately after the end of their mandates, regardless of seniority in the magistracy.

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