Romania: PM plans major cutbacks for judiciary
Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan has announced a new austerity package to address the country's huge budget deficit. The measures include a judicial reform that raises the retirement age for judges and public prosecutors from 50 to 65 years and caps pensions at 70 percent of the net salary. Commentators scrutinise the fierce opposition to these plans.
Greedy judges won't give in
Deutsche Welle's Romanian service looks at why the government is targeting the judiciary first:
“Perhaps it's their greed - after all, local judges and prosecutors have been granting themselves salary and pension increases year after year. This violates the separation of powers because the executive proposes the public salary system and parliament approves it. ... Tough negotiations aimed at watering down Bolojan's proposal will now begin behind the scenes. And if the bill comes in its current version before the Constitutional Court, where most of the constitutional judges receive both their salary and a special pension, it is even possible that they will rule in favour of the judges [who oppose the reform].”
The first major test for Bolojan
Adevărul points to considerable resistance, even from Bolojan's coalition partner, the Social Democratic Party (PSD):
“Immediately after the announcement there was a huge uproar and statements from the Council of Magistracy, the justice minister and judges who see their salaries and pension privileges at risk. ... Justice Minister Radu Marinescu of the PSD contradicted his superior - Prime Minister Bolojan - and said that his ministry had not drawn up the draft law and that he did not agree with it. ... Without the approval of the Ministry of Justice, the government's draft cannot be submitted to parliament. This is the first time that a minister has challenged the prime minister's authority in this way. ... This is an important and difficult test that Bolojan must now pass.”