Raed Arafat, in favor of raising the retirement age: “Retiring at 40 is a loss for the whole society”
Raed Arafat, head of the Department of Emergency Situations, supports raising the retirement age in the military system, arguing that the experience gained by operational personnel is essential and should not be lost through very early retirements.
Arafat says the real problem is the professional loss the state is suffering. PHOTO Gov.ro
Raed Arafat states that Romania is only following the European trend, where the retirement age in military structures has increased in recent years, and emphasizes that experienced personnel can remain active, even if they no longer perform direct intervention roles, according to Digi24.
“Retiring at 40 is a loss for all of society”believes the head of the DSU.
In his view, the military and public order systems need experienced people, and very early retirements leave institutions without essential human resources.
“Go to the other European countries and see that everywhere this approach is taken, it is not a unique approach in Romania”, says Arafat, emphasizing that Romania is only aligning itself with an already generalized trend.
Raed Arafat also explains that age should not be seen as an absolute obstacle in operative activity, but as a criterion for the redistribution of responsibilities.
“The older you are, maybe the activity is adapted. Maybe after a certain age you will no longer be on the front line, on the intervention machine, but maybe you will work on prevention. There are solutions“, says the head of the DSU.
According to the head of the DSU, the real problem is the professional loss the state suffers when staff retire too early:
“You prepared yourself and then we lose you when you are at your peak experience and doing the job you were trained to do.”
What's next: MAi and MApN must come up with a project in 30 days
Arafat's statements come in the context in which the Emergency Ordinance on the reform of the administration forces the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of National Defense to develop, within a month, a project to increase the standard retirement age for police, military and special services personnel.
The measure is part of a wider package of reforms aimed at reducing the pressure on the special pension system and keeping qualified staff in work.
