The Minister of Defence, Radu Miruta, gave assurances on Wednesday evening that military pensions, pay and allowances will not be slashed down, stating that the average pension within the Ministry of National Defence (MApN) is already 5,008 lei.
His statement comes in the context of a decision by the Constitutional Court of Romania concerning the cut of magistrates' pensions and the increase in the retirement age within the judicial system, agerpres reports.
'Service personnel are not in the situation of receiving pensions of tens of thousands of euros per month; nor are they in the situation of having delayed case files or offenders whose sentences have become statute-barred. The average pension within the Ministry of Defence is 5,008 lei, and the age at which personnel retired last year is five years higher than the minimum age at which they would have been entitled to retire but chose not to. Pay will not be reduced, salaries will not be reduced, allowances will not be reduced, and the number of service personnel will not be reduced. Yes, internal expenditure within the Ministry of Defence will decrease - expenditure which today is not channelled in the most transparent manner possible, nor in the most proper way in terms of the value derived from part of these funds - but without affecting the core of the Romanian Army, namely its human resources,' the Defence Minister wrote on Facebook.
On Wednesday, the Constitutional Court of Romania rejected the appeal lodged by the High Court of Cassation and Justice concerning the new draft bill proposed by the Bolojan Government on the reform of magistrates' pensions, ruling that the legislation is constitutional.
Following the Court's decision, Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan stated that the reform of magistrates' pensions represents a first step towards correcting the inequalities that have affected public trust in the state.
'I have fought for the principle that unjustified privileges have no place in a public system. We can no longer afford to retire people in the full possession of their physical and intellectual capacities at the age of 50, 51 or 52. In March we will present a draft law that will continue these corrections. In a democratic state, respect for magistrates is a cornerstone. I have no doubt that following this reform that respect will not only remain intact but will, on the contrary, be strengthened,' Ilie Bolojan said.
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