Orban says 2020 budget provides for amounts to increase pensions, salaries, according to legislation

Prime Minister Ludovic Orban said Monday that the draft budget for next year provides for the amounts needed to increase pensions from September 1, according to the pension law, but also for salary increases, provided for in the law of unitary pay. "In next year's state budget law and social insurance law we have provided for the necessary amounts for the pension increase from September 1, as the law stipulates. The same goes for salaries. (...) We have provided for the money to ensure this increase, because it is stipulated in the pay law," Orban told public broadcaster TVR 1. He added that 2020 will be devoted to a very serious analysis of the pension system, a comparative analysis with other pension systems, to see which are the best pension systems that work, so that the Government will come at a given moment with a valid draft law. "Where else have you seen something like this? No one starts raising salaries in the public sector and foresees pension increase for four years. What do you rely on? Normally any growth must be thought over. (...) At the time of the PSD [the Social Democratic Party] coming to power, in 2016, it was a well-known formula for pensioners, a formula that everyone knew, where the pension increased with the inflation rate and by 50pct of the increase in the nationwide average gross salary. Also, for those who were about to retire, the correction index was applied, which is calculated according to an established formula. Things were as predictable as possible. The PSD came and said - we increase pensions. How do we increase them? Well, like this, out of nowhere" said the prime minister. AGERPRES (RO - author: Dana Piciu, editor: Karina Olteanu; EN - author: Bogdan Gabaroi, editor: Simona Iacob)