Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu declared on Tuesday in Craiova that new discussions are scheduled this week in Brussels with European Commission officials on the new Public Pensions Law, reiterating that he would like the new act to go into effect as of next year.
The head of the government said that the talks on this subject with European Commission representatives take place against the background of the commitments assumed by Romania under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, adding that he will also travel to Brussels this week.
"Regarding the Pensions Law, we sent a draft to the Commission, it is normal for us to seek the Commission's feedback. This is where we will start the negotiations from. I think this week I will also travel to Brussels and I will join discussions with the Commission. That's how things work, it's no secret. I'm really glad that we succeeded however to uncouple it from the request for EU funding, there's the Salary Law, the Pensions Law and the fiscal reform that were not passed by either the PSD or Ciolacu," the prime minister said.
Asked how much the minimum pension would be from January 1, 2024, he explained that as the pension increase is pegged to the inflation index, according to the legislation in force, all pensions will rise by the inflation rate of 13.5 percent. "That's what I wish, and this is what we agreed with the Commission, that the law be promulgated on January 1, so that the ministry has a few months to prepare it and put it into effect," Prime Minister Ciolacu said.