Pension indexation law unenforced: retirees lose thousands of RON annually

The law requiring pension indexation remains, for the time being, on paper only, and pensioners are feeling the direct impact of this freeze, as prices have continued to rise. According to simulations carried out by pensioners' associations, a Romanian receiving the minimum pension has lost 1,500 RON in a year due to this situation.

The same source indicates that those on the minimum pension must manage on just 42 RON per day for all essential expenses — food, bills, and medicines.

How much pensioners lose annually, depending on their pension amount

The Foundation for the Defence of Citizens Against State Abuses has calculated the losses caused by the lack of indexation across several pension categories:

• Minimum pension (1,281 RON) — annual loss of 1,500 RON
• Pension of 3,000 RON — annual loss of 4,300 RON
• Pensions above 5,000 RON — annual loss of over 11,100 RON

In practice, the higher the pension, the greater the annual sum lost due to non-indexation, rising to over 11,000 RON for those with higher incomes.

Growing numbers of pensioners taking pension houses to court

Disgruntled by the failure to uphold the law, some pensioners have decided to take pension houses to court, demanding that the legal provisions on indexation be applied. Others are turning to loans from mutual aid funds to cope with day-to-day expenses, against the backdrop of two years of pension freezes combined with high inflation.