Pensioners lose money monthly due to the lack of pension indexation with the inflation rate

Pensioners hit by austerity measures

The financial situation of pensioners in Romania has deteriorated significantly over the past two years, against a backdrop of austerity measures that have directly affected the most vulnerable. Senior citizens claim that the state has failed to take the necessary steps to protect their incomes in the face of rising living costs, with the consequences felt every month in their household budgets.

Two years without pension indexation

Pensioners' chief grievance concerns the absence of pension indexation in line with inflation over the past two years. This lack of financial adjustment means that, even as prices for food, medicines, utilities and services have risen steadily, pensioners' incomes have remained essentially frozen. As a result, the purchasing power of senior citizens has eroded considerably, month after month.

Concrete monthly financial losses

The cumulative effect of non-indexation translates into significant sums that pensioners lose every month. Specialists warn that, measured against the inflation rate over this period, the gap between current pensions and the level they should have reached through indexation represents a real and substantial loss for millions of Romanians in their retirement years.

Pensioners forced to take on debt

One direct and troubling consequence of this situation is that a growing number of pensioners have found themselves living in debt. Unable to cover basic monthly expenses on insufficient pensions, many senior citizens are turning to loans from relatives, friends, or even financial institutions, becoming trapped in a cycle of debt that is particularly difficult to manage at this stage of life.

The impact on elderly people's quality of life

Beyond the economic figures, this situation has direct consequences for pensioners' quality of life. Many are forced to forgo medication or take it in reduced doses, cut back on food, or postpone necessary medical appointments, precisely because of a lack of financial resources. Pensioners with chronic conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease or Alzheimer's are among those most exposed to these hardships.

Calls for urgent social protection measures

In this context, organisations representing pensioners and social policy experts are calling on the authorities to urgently implement measures to protect the incomes of elderly people. Among the solutions being sought is the resumption of periodic pension indexation in line with inflation and the cost of living, so that senior citizens do not continue to fall further behind the rest of the population financially.