CSM accuses a “campaign against the judicial system”: “I seek to blame us for the budgetary difficulties” / magistrates, convened on the problem of special pensions

The Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM) announced on Thursday in a press release that it had convened the General Assembly of Prosecutors and Judges for the period August 26-27, 2025, to write a point of view on the project put into public debate that modifies the pensions of the magistrates.

In the press release on Thursday, the SCM accuses politicians from government and journalists of leading a “campaign against the judicial system” and accuses “escalating hostile public attitudes towards judges and prosecutors”.

“The repeated positioning of the representatives of the parties that compose the ruling coalition, which, in an unqualified way, seek to blame the judicial system for the economic and budgetary difficulties that the Romanian society is currently facing and to distract from their true causes,” according to the SCM.

The institution also speaks of “intensifying the campaign that different media institutions carry out against the judicial system to complete the rhetoric supported by the political factor in order to destabilize the justice system.”

“The aggressive promotion, from the area of ​​the same political factor and the media that supports it, of the idea that the intention of the Prime Minister of the Romanian Government to modify the regime of service pensions of judges and prosecutors would actually seek to end some privileges of the magistrates,” adds the SCM.

Prosecutors and judges accuse of creating an “atmosphere of public hatred” at their address

The SCM says that by ignoring the arguments and representatives of the judicial system and “constantly put into question the judges and prosecutors, in the atmosphere of public hatred generated by the irresponsible actions of the political factor, thus creating the major risk of demoralizing the judges and prosecutors in office and of the serious affectation of the attraction, the attractiveness of the Magistrate. professionalism in the judicial system ”.

“The contempt that some exponents of the political factor or in the media manifest constantly towards magistrates, given that the efforts of judges and prosecutors who exercise their duties with honesty and professionalism are well known, managing a huge volume of activity, at a level of quality and efficiency higher than the average of the European Union,” says the European Union.

CSM says the draft law that changes magistrates' pensions does not comply with the CCR decisions

The SCM states that it is necessary that any amendment of law must be made after consulting all the parties involved. They accuse that the draft pensions of the magistrates, put into public debate last week, “seriously affects the independence of justice, violating the mandatory decisions of the Constitutional Court and of the Court of Justice of the European Union, as well as the international reference documents.”

“There is no justification of this approach under the conditions in which the reform of the service system was made by Law no. 282/2023, and the proposals presented by the initiator are not the result of any dialogue with the representatives of the judicial authority, but constitute the expression of an inadmissible attitude that concrete an inflexible position, of the power, of the power, unacceptable in a democratic and specific society of autocratic societies, ”adds CSM.

Prosecutors and judges say that the attitude “manifested” by the government is “contrary to the constitutional principle of separation and balance of powers and the principle of loyal cooperation and mutual respect between public authorities.”

CSM convened the General Assembly of Prosecutors and Judges

The SCM mentions that the General Assembly of prosecutors and judges has been convened for several reasons.

“Taking into account the risks that the actions of the other powers in the state, which affect the independence of justice and seriously destabilize the judicial system, creates them regarding the fundamental rights and freedoms of the citizens and the democratic course of the Romanian society,” according to the press release.

“On 21.08.2025, the sections of the Superior Council of Magistracy decided to convene the general meetings of the judges and prosecutors for the interval 26-27.08.2025, in order to express a point of view regarding the draft normative act on the modification of the service pensions and to the necessary measures in order to protect the statute of the magistrates,”

What are the main changes stipulated in the Reform project designed by the Bolojan Government

The project stipulates that the retirement age for magistrates will be the standard one in the public pension system, ie 65 years. Magistrates who want the retirement must be at least 35 years old. Changes are also regarding the amount of the pension: it will not be more than 70% of the net income in the last month before the retirement.

In the project that aims to reform the pension system in the judiciary, published on Thursday evening, the CCR judges are not included, because their status is provided in another law, the representatives of the Government explained.

According to the project, the reform on the pensions of the magistrates should be adopted until October 1, 2025 – when the bill should enter into force.

The magistrates will continue to be retired in advance, according to the project, but only after they are 35 years old. If they retire because they are old, but they do not meet the age required by law, then they will be applied an annual penalty “2% until the standard retirement age in the public system” will be applied.

The project also provides that a “new staggering of the increase of the retirement age for magistrates” is needed. Thus, an additional period of 1 year and a half will be added annually until 2036.

The project also provides for a series of “transient norms” regarding the maintenance of retirement decisions as well for the magistrates who will meet the retirement conditions until October 1, 2025: “The date of entry into force of this law”, according to the project.