Wave of retirements in the justice system

Romania's Justice Minister, Cătălin Predoiu, has warned the speculation in the public sphere regarding the so-called special pensions that don't observe the contribution principle, may disrupt the activity of courts of law and prosecutors' offices, as many magistrates might choose to mass-retire. In the last days alone, 65 retirement requests were submitted to the Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM). The applicants include a few sonorous names, such as a CSM judge, Gabriela Baltag, the head of the former Special Section investigating Crime in Justice, Adina Florea, or Felix Bănilă, the former head of the Directorate Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT). 

Minister Predoiu met with representatives of the top institutions in the field, giving assurances that the government is currently not examining any project aimed at modifying the current legislation in the justice system. Any such project, the Romanian official argued, will have to undergo a number of steps prior to its adoption, and the Ministry will issue an opinion only after ensuring magistrates stay independent and the justice system will remain efficient. Pensions are a constituent of the magistrates' status, Cătălin Predoiu went on to say. The Justice Minister called for public responsibility when debating the issue, including from magistrates. Concerns spiked after the World Bank finalized its plan for reforming the pension system in Romania, also suggesting that current pensions should observe the contribution system, by scrapping any privileged categories exempted from this rule. 

Additionally, the World Bank wants all special pensions to be capped at the level of income reported during magistrates' term in office, while the retirement age of magistrates should be the same as for any other public worker. Pension reform is a top goal under the Recovery and Resilience Plan, which the authorities have agreed upon with EU representatives and which should be completed by the end of the year. In a country with some five million pensioners receiving the equivalent of some 400 EUR every month, the issue of special pensions, which in some cases are ten times higher, can produce social and political unrest, while lawmakers are doing little to remedy such anomalies. Government spokesman Dan Cărbunaru says that any modifications the government is considering to implement in the pension system, including with regard to the retirement age, will not be implemented "abruptly" lest they should cause "disruptions". As regards the milestone regarding special pensions the government must fulfill as part of its commitments at EU level, Dan Cărbunaru said a special task force was created at government level, with Labor Ministry specialists conducting analyses and consulting with the World Bank. (VP)