Save Romanian Union (USR) submitted on Wednesday an official request for Parliament to convene an extraordinary session between August 17 and September 1 to review the draft law on special pensions. According to a USR press release, the postponement of the re-examination of the bill in Parliament is „a clear signal that the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the National Liberal Party (PNL) do not want, in fact,” to abolish special pensions, write Agerpres.

The USR request points out that more than a week has passed since the publication of the reasoning of the Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR) decision No. 467/2023 and „urgent re-examination” of the bill on special pensions is required. Any delay in the adoption of a law eliminating special pensions „puts at risk” access to billions of euros from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), the release reads.

USR demands that, when the extraordinary session is convened, the standing bureaus should also establish a clear work programme for the committees notified on the law. On August 2, USR Chairman Catalin Drula accused the PSD and PNL of „saving special pensions with the Constitutional Court’s hand” and called for the convening of an extraordinary session of Parliament between August 7 and September 1 to urgently discuss the law declared unconstitutional by the CCR. On August 3, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said that Parliament would be convened in extraordinary session to amend the Special Pensions Law in accordance with the CCR objections.

The Constitutional Court of Romania has decided to send back to Parliament the law amending the special pensions, after some articles were declared unconstitutional. The decision was announced by the President of the CCR, Marian Enache. He said that the law is constitutional as a whole, but there are also unconstitutional aspects.