Ponta asks for pension increase enforcement, under new law, as of 1 January 2019

Leader of the Pro Romania Party Victor Ponta announced on Saturday evening he agrees to the pensions being increased as of 1 January 2019, adding that he will file an amendment in this respect when the new pension draft law is debated in Parliament.

"If a new pension law is created (...). We'll make an amendment (...). The pension law is coming up. I want us to support it. We, at Pro Romania, will vote for it, on condition it comes into force as of 1 January 2019," Ponta explained in a show on Romania TV.

Ponta said that if there is no money to increase pensions as of 2019, no extra money will be in the coming years either.

"If in 2018 you cannot increase pensions and you say you have no money, then you will definitely not have it in 2020, 2021. (...) I will always agree to the idea that pensions must be raised. (...) I want it to come into force starting 1 January 2019," Victor Ponta mentioned.

According to the former PM, there currently are five million retired people.

There is no reason for the new pension law to be challenged with the Constitutional Court, as among those working on the draft there are also constitutional law professors, Labour and Social Justice Minister Olguta Vasilescu told a press conference on 10 August.

On the other hand, she showed that there is availability to accept amendments during the debates in Parliament, where necessary.

The Labour Minister added that, after a 30-day public debate, the normative act will be adopted by the Government as a draft, and then go to Parliament. The law might reach promulgation in December. AGERPRES (RO - author: Isabela Paulescu, editor: Nona Jalba; EN - editor: Adina Panaitescu)