The Foundation For The Defense Of Citizens Against Citizens Against State Abuses (FACIAS) has petitioned the Ministry of Labor and Social Solidarity and the Commission for Labor and Social Protection of the Chamber of Deputies to promptly propose legislation that would provide pensioners with free certificates of length of service. FACIAS asserts that this action is imperative to rectify a significant injustice that directly impacts the most vulnerable members of society.
It is worth noting that pensioners in Romania who receive a monthly pension of less than 1,500 lei are required to pay fees ranging from 50 to 200 lei for each certificate that is necessary to establish their contribution period and calculate their pension. These fees represent a considerable financial burden, particularly for those who are already experiencing economic challenges.
The National Institute of Statistics (INS) has released official data for the first quarter of 2024, indicating that the average monthly pension in Romania was 2,418 lei. FACIAS has cautioned that a considerable proportion of pensioners receive considerably lower incomes, rendering any additional taxation an impediment to the recalculation of their pensions.
It is recalled that Law No. 360/2023 on the public pension system, which entered into force on September 1, 2024, was adopted with the intention of implementing milestone 214 of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), which is aimed at eliminating differential treatment in the public pension system. This law replaces Law No. 263/2010 and introduces a new legislative framework with the objective of standardizing access to pensions.
Nevertheless, the methodological regulations for the implementation of the legislation, as set forth in Government Decision No. 181/2024, no longer permit the free issuance of certificates of length of service by the incumbent economic operators or by those responsible for labor archives.
FACIAS deems the extant legislation to be incomplete and to set a dangerous precedent for the fundamental rights of pensioners. The right to a pension, guaranteed by Article 47 of the Romanian Constitution, also includes the unrestricted possibility to obtain the documents necessary to establish this right. The imposition of additional fees contravenes this principle and endangers a category of pensioners whose economic vulnerability and need for additional support from the state have just been recognized.