The state must encourage people to save for the retirement age and, therefore, I supported the European Commission's project on occupational and pan-European personal pension products (PEPP) at the ECOFIN meeting, Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare said on Tuesday.
"The future of Romanians' pensions and strategic investments in Romania, central themes today at ECOFIN. Today, at the meeting of the finance ministers of the European Union (ECOFIN), I firmly supported a vision in which Romanians' savings are protected and function as a multiplication factor for the country's development: more money for the future of Romanians through supplementary European pensions. The state must encourage people to save for the retirement age. That is why I supported the European Commission's project on occupational and pan-European personal pension products (PEPP)," the minister wrote in a social media post.
He added that that means introducing advantageous taxation of both occupational and pan-European pensions, similar to that of contributions to national private pension funds.
"Thus, money is multiplied by investments in strategic infrastructure or energy projects. It is a win both for the citizen (higher pension) and for the country (capital for major projects, such as highways or hospitals)," Nazare said.
He added that, at the same time, he supported a pan-European personal pension product that is "portable", that is, if a Romanian works in several EU countries, he can take his pension with himself, without bureaucracy.
"However, we asked for fair taxation: European products must not be advantaged to the detriment of national ones, so as not to create imbalances."
On the sidelines of the ECOFIN meeting, Nazare had a series of bilateral meetings with the finance ministers of other European countries: Lars Klingbeil (Germany), Alena Schillerova (Czech Republic), Clyde Caruana (Malta).
"We actively promoted, and on this occasion, Romania's candidacy to host the headquarters of the European Customs Authority. Bucharest is ready to become a centre of expertise for the security of the EU's borders, especially due to the experience it already has by hosting the EU Cyber Centre in Bucharest, and the support of our partners is very important.
I will continue to promote at European level a strong Romania, with an economy based on investments and for institutions that really work at the service of the citizen," the finance minister also said.
Comentează