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The subsidy transferred in 2021 from the state budget to balance the social security budget was 12 billion RON, meaning approximately 15% of the values of pensions paid from the social security budget, maintain the representatives of the National Union Bloc (BNS).
Thus, the unionists urge the Government not to increase the contribution transferred to the Pension Pillar II (mandatory private pension funds - e.n.), at least not until the analysis of the technical assistance supplier is finalized.
According to the quoted source, the Labor Ministry initiated last week a Government Emergency Ordinance by which it proposed raising the social security contribution transferred to Pension Pillar II from 3.75% to 4.75%, "this initiative being justified by the necessity to respect arrangements in the PNRR [National Recovery and Resilience Plan]".
"Why are we increasing the quota of the CAS [social insurance contributions] transferred to Pension Pillar II if we are not interested what pensions this system is to pay? About consultancy with no real use and about reform measures we expect nothing of! The preparation and negotiation of the PNRR in a state of opaqueness (as if it was the best kept state secret) brought us to the situation in which the implementation of this document offers us still countless unpleasant surprises. A month ago, the public opinion took notice that the Citu Government committed through the PNRR to keep the level of pension costs relative to the GDP nearly unchanged for 50 years. We are discovering very many commitments in the PNRR made under the pressure of lobby structures. Some were unmasked by the press and eliminated, some others remained hidden in the hundreds of pages of the PNRR. They are visible now, however, and they show us how permissive the Citu Government was with regard to the influences of the business environment and, at the same time, how little interest he had in the welfare and future of this country's citizens," claim the BNS representatives.
"The contempt seems, however, even greater if we have in view the rest of the commitments assumed through the PNRR regarding Pension Pillar II. It seems the Citu Government has taken, 'copy&paste', from the requests of administrators of pension funds and without a shade of judgment assumed it as public policy. [They] have assumed through the PNRR the financial viability of Pension Pillar II as a measure of reform, but in fact the Citu Government was exclusively concerned with the viability of the funds administrators' business. Not even a word about the participants, about guaranteeing their rights, about the safety and security of their investments, about how the pensions from this pillar will be paid," mentions in the release.
