PM Bolojan: We propose raising the standard retirement age for magistrates to 65

An increase of the standard retirement age for magistrates to 65 years is being proposed in a draft law, Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan told a press conference held Tuesday at the Victoria Palace, where he presented a series of proposals regarding magistrates' pensions and standard retirement age.The head of the Executive explained that an analysis was conducted of retirement systems across European Union member states, revealing that the standard retirement age is 65 in nearly all of them, with the possibility to work until 68 or even 70, noting that Romania aligns with European standards in terms of retirement age."We propose raising the retirement age and aligning the justice system with the standard retirement age of 65. Additionally, compared to the current required length of service of 25 years - which allows retirement at age 48 - we propose increasing the minimum service requirement to 35 years. This means that a magistrate who has worked exclusively within the Romanian system could still choose early retirement, but not at 48, rather at 58. Under this system, for each year of early retirement, the pension would be reduced by 2%," explained Ilie Bolojan.He emphasized that these proposals aim to eliminate a major inequity in society."These provisions are designed to raise the retirement age, correct this imbalance, and to have all the magistrates. Today, unfortunately, only a small number choose to remain active after reaching the standard retirement age, and I thank those who have opted to continue working. We will have nearly the entire body of magistrates operating at peak professional maturity. I believe this will become evident in the coming years through improved quality in the act of justice in Romania, more consistent rulings, greater efficiency, and overall improvements in how the system functions," the prime minister stated.    A magistrate's pension should be capped at a maximum of 70% of their last net salary, rather than the current 80% of the gross salary, Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan added. "With regard to the pension amount, most countries calculate it based on the salaries received in the final years of service - typically four or five years - and use this average to determine a percentage. In some countries, there is a fully contributory system, with no distinction between magistrates and other civil servants. In most cases, there is a formula that results in a pension of around 60-70% of the net earnings from the last years of work. Based on this principle and in line with both Romanian legislation and Constitutional Court rulings, our proposal is to cap a magistrate's pension at no more than 70% of their last net salary - not 80% of the gross salary as currently applied, which results in pensions exceeding net salary levels. This new threshold would still place us at the higher end of European regulations," explained Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan.He added that the actual calculation would be based on gross income, using a percentage of 55% of the average gross earnings over the last five years, but with a maximum limit of 70% of the last net salary."This is an important adjustment, bringing these pension levels closer to normality - not just in terms of the percentage of net salary, but also regarding the standard retirement age. (...) This afternoon, we will release the full legislative texts so that they can be reviewed. In the coming days, we will hold discussions with all stakeholders in order to present, debate, and gather feedback or suggestions for improvement. Our goal is to finalize the legislative package by next week," Bolojan announced. Ilie Bolojan added that by the end of this week, a calendar for the debate and adoption of the draft law will also be announced.