Nicușor Dan invokes “difficulties of interpretation” in the law on magistrates' pensions: “They remain to be corrected”

President Nicușor Dan said that an agreement can be reached in the ruling coalition on the new draft law that would regulate magistrates' pensions in up to two weeks. The head of state did not rule out the possibility that the future project would undergo changes compared to the form that was rejected at the Constitutional Court.

Invited to comment on the fact that the PSD has separately formed a working group to come up with proposals for reforming the magistrates' pension system, Nicușor Dan replied:

“The most important thing is that we have a problem, the pension as much as the salary, and we have the political will to solve the problem this year. These are the facts. Furthermore, it is legitimate for people to have different opinions on a certain issue. It is obvious that when the bill goes to the Parliament, a prior agreement of the parties in the coalition is needed (…) The debate is necessary, I estimate that it will not last more than a week, two, three”.

The head of state did not rule out that the future draft would contain substantive changes, compared to the initial form, so that a new failure at the Constitutional Court would be prevented, this time on issues related to the content of the law, not the manner in which it was adopted.

“In the meantime, many jurists have looked at this text and it is possible that some of them have seen some problems related to interpretation difficulties, not the substance of the problem. If there are such issues, they probably remain to be corrected,” said Nicușor Dan.

“Let's also look at the electoral context”

When he was asked to comment on a statement by Sorin Grindeanu, related to the fact that Ilie Bolojan should resign if the new project is also rejected at the Constitutional Court, Nicușor Dan said this statement on account of the “electoral context”.

“I think that we are before November 7, I think that after November 7 we will have less such positions. Let's also look at the electoral context, there is the PSD Congress on November 7, the elections for the Capital City Hall on December 7. My opinion is that this type of rhetoric is no longer valid as it was 10-20 years ago. Everyone takes their positions as they see fit,” said Dan.

Sorin Grindeanu claimed, on Wednesday, that if Ilie Bolojan will proceed as he did at the time of the first adoption of the law on the changes to magistrates' pensions, then he must go home.

“The moment you enter the second time without dialogue with the actors in the field, in which you don't even take into account the president's observations, in which you assume that you meet certain deadlines faster, you don't stay 30 days, but after 10 days you think that's enough, the moment you think that everything is played out in an area of ​​personal pride, you assume this,” Grindeanu said.

“Let him go home if he continues to do the same procedure a second time without having a dialogue with all the actors, or at least take into account what the president of Romania says, then he must go home,” he concluded.

CCR admitted, on Monday, the notification of unconstitutionality of the High Court of Cassation and Justice on the law of the Bolojan Government amending the magistrates' pensions. The reason cited by the CCR: the lack of the CSM's opinion: “Since Law no. 305/2022 establishes a 30-day deadline for the issuance of the opinion by the CSM, the Government, as the initiator of the criticized normative act, has the obligation to respect it”.