More and more pensioners are taking out loans from the Employees' Credit Union just to make ends meet until the end of the month

An increasing number of Romanians, particularly pensioners, are taking out loans to cover their daily expenses, according to data from the country's Mutual Aid Houses (C.A.R.). Representatives of these institutions say that the number of loan applications grows month on month, with the amounts requested starting from just a few hundred RON.

Pensions don't cover the cost of daily living

Many pensioners admit that their income is insufficient to meet their basic needs. A 75-year-old woman shares her story: "It's hard, it's very hard... I'm 75 years old, and up until last week I was still working, because my money just isn't enough."

Another person says: "My pension is very small... 1,700 RON after more than 30 years of work."

The situation reflects an increasingly common reality among Romania's elderly, who are turning to small loans to cope with day-to-day costs, against a backdrop of pensions widely considered to be inadequate.