Economist Ionuț Dumitru, adviser to Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, about the special pensions of magistrates: “Romanians can't even count so much money”

Economist Ionuț Dumitru, advisor to Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, declared that the situation of special pensions of magistrates represents “an anomaly”, warning of the huge existing imbalances in the pension system in Romania, especially in the 55-64 age segment.

Economist Ionuț Dumitru, advisor to Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan. PHOTO: video capture Antena 3 CNN

According to Ionuț Dumitru, less than half of the people in this age category are active on the labor market, which puts significant pressure on the public budget. He pointed out that early retirements, especially those from the judiciary, contribute decisively to this problem.

“Less than one in two people are in the workforce and we have a problem, that is, we have more than one in two inactive. We have a problem with special pensions, that there are a lot of people who retire at very young ages and obviously with a very high benefit. We see the judicial system where we have even higher pensions than wages, which is an anomaly. Obviously they have no motivation to go back to work when you have such a high benefit and I stay out of the labor market”, explained the economist, on Saturday, in an interview broadcast by Antena 3 CNN.

He also drew attention to early retirements from other sectors of the economy, which further reduce the contributor base, at a time when Romania is already facing a labor shortage.

Referring to magistrates' pensions, which can currently reach approximately 5,000 euros, Ionuț Dumitru stated that they create a deep sense of injustice among the population.

“I travel around the country and I go to the countryside. People don't even conceive this idea of ​​having a pension of 5,000 euros at the age of 48. There is no such thing for them. I mean, they don't even manage to count this money. I mean, I say, sir, there is no such thing, it doesn't exist. Yes, it shouldn't exist, but it does. It's an aberration, simply.” said the prime minister's adviser.

Asked if Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan could resign if the Constitutional Court declares the reform of special pensions unconstitutional, Dumitru avoided a clear answer, but stated that such a decision would be difficult to justify.

“I don't know what to tell you, I'm not in your position to tell you what Mr. Prime Minister would do, but I think it would be a difficult situation to explain. The Constitutional Court gave a decision on the previous form of this law reforming special pensions, in which it said that it had a problem with form. It would somehow be at least hilarious, from my point of view, to come now and say wait, sir, that we also have a problem with substance.” he declared.

Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan recently stated that Romania simultaneously faces a labor shortage and social policies that do not stimulate the rapid re-entry into activity. Bolojan supports the elimination of early retirements and bringing all retirements closer to the standard age of 65.