Following the announcement made by Romanian PM Ilie Bolojan regarding the reform of special pensions for magistrates, the system is reacting as a whole.
Starting Tuesday, the heads of the main courts in the country have issued public messages expressing solidarity with the initiatives of the Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM) and concern about the impact of the new proposals on the status of magistrates.
On Tuesday, the presidents of the courts of appeal took a stand, on Wednesday the presidents of the tribunals joined them, and on Thursday the presidents of the courts nationwide also issued a statement.
All support the CSM initiatives in the context they describe as "attacks on the public image of the justice system."
The appeals come in response to statements by Prime Minister Bolojan, who announced the Government's intention to raise the retirement age for magistrates to 65, increase the required length of service for retirement from 25 to 35 years, and cap pensions at a maximum of 70% of net salary, compared to the current 80% of gross salary.
In the statement issued on Thursday, the presidents of courts nationwide warn that the image of Justice is affected by "positions expressed recently by the media, the political environment, and even state officials," which, according to them, "distort the truth or present information related to the justice system in a tendentious manner."
Magistrates cite increasing workload, difficult working conditions, and professional restrictions as factors that, combined with recent political rhetoric, could affect the attractiveness of the profession.
The damage caused by harming the public image of the judicial authority is not only present, destabilizing the justice system, but also endangers the future of the judiciary, by reducing the attractiveness of the profession, primarily and by constantly stigmatizing the body of magistrates," they further maintain.
The presidents of courts call for a balanced dialogue among the three branches of government and for a comprehensive analysis of the justice system, warning that spreading truncated information in a tense social context can have destabilizing effects.