Talks over the new fiscal budgetary measures

Romania’s Prime Minister, Ilie Bolojan, has held talks with representatives of the public administration and those of magistrate associations on the new fiscal-budgetary measures

Mihai Pelin, 19.08.2025, 14:00

A new round of talks has taken place in Bucharest over package 2 of the fiscal measures aimed at curbing Romania’s budget deficit, for which the government is going to assume responsibility in Parliament by the end of the month.

The country’s Prime Minister, Ilie Bolojan, on Monday held talks with representatives of magistrate associations over the reform of the pension system; the magistrates left angry arguing that round of talks was useless. They aren’t satisfied by the government’s decision to readjust the pensions of judges and prosecutors after a previous 2023 agreement with the European Commission over pension calculation and retirement age, which didn’t justify the present move. Here is Bogdan Pârlog, representative of the Association Initiative for Justice.

Bogdan Parlog: “This is actually a diversion, throwing dust in people’s eyes, to show them that something is being made, you know. In reality the social costs of imbalances in the legal system and those caused this way will be affecting people, and are going to be incommensurably higher.”

However, Prime Minister Bolojan has explained that the bill trimming the magistrate pensions takes into account aspects of social equity, budget realities and the need for cutting state expenses. Increasing the retirement age for magistrates is a measure aimed at improving the quality of the public service and bringing sustainability to the justice system, Bolojan went on to say. Also on Monday, the Prime Minister held talks with representatives of the Associations of Romanian Municipalities also disgruntled by the provisions of an emergency ordinance to suspend funding through the ‘Anghel Saligny’ programme and the PNRR for projects with a small degree of implementation or those that hadn’t kicked off yet.

Out of 30 requests only one remained unsolved, says the chair of the aforementioned association, Lia Olguţa Vasilescu with the PSD. She explained the fund allotment will be made in accordance with the population number, resulted after the census carried out during the Covid pandemic, which is completely incorrect and is going to have a bad impact upon the administrative-territorial units.

Lia Olguţa Vasilescu: “All the projects completed 30% at the moment are going to get funding through the PNRR. Under the new emergency ordinance, a memorandum is going to be issued for the other projects that if they can be finalized by the middle of the next year, they will be getting the necessary funding.”

The PNRR will be carried out in a planned manner, Prime Minister Bolojan has told the mayors attending the talks, adding that the projects, which do not qualify for PNNR funding as they cannot be completed until August 31 next year, will become eligible for other types of funding, through various financial funding programmes, either European or national funds.

(bill)