Deputy PM Stanescu: Pension Pillar II must be optional

Deputy Prime Minister Paul Stanescu considers Private Pensions Pillar II must be optional and the Gov't must explain which are the advantages of this fund, if pensions are higher or lower following contributions to it.

Stanescu reaffirmed that there hasn't been any discussion in the Social Democratic Party (PSD) about suspending Pension Pillar II.

"There hasn't been any discussion in PSD, at least, I don't know about the coalition [PSD, major at rule - the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, ALDE, minor at rule, ed.n.], about eliminating Pension Pillar II. The discussion started from an unfortunate communication, from the Forecast Committee - this is where it all started from. There hasn't been any discussion in PSD about dismantling pension pillar II. The Government must explain the advantage and the disadvantage, and as far as I am concerned, Pension Pillar II should be optional. I, as a Romanian citizen, need to know exactly what is going on, how it is - if I am in Pension Pillar I and Pension Pillar II - what is my pension and nobody should be forced to be in Pension Pillar II, as it was done 10 years ago. (...) The decision is nor made by PSD on its own, we will certainly discuss it with ALDE," Stanescu said in Parliament.

According to him, "things are going well", given that the contribution from the state budget to the pension budget had decreased.

"The suspension of Pension Pillar II was never taken into consideration. No such thing has ever been considered, it was just a proposal of the Forecast Committee. The Government must explain to us very well what the Pension Pillar II means. (...) I would like to know whether with Pillar II my pension will be bigger or smaller - let the Gov't explain it to me. And probably Mrs. Olguta Vasilescu [Labour minister, ed.n.], in the upcoming period, will come out to explain this thing so that I know if with Pension Pillar II I have a bigger or smaller pension. This must be optional," Deputy PM Stanescu highlighted.AGERPRES(RO - author: Catalina Matei, editor: Georgiana Tanasescu; EN - author: Simona Iacob, editor: Maria Voican)