The Constitutional Court of Romania has postponed for the fifth time the pronouncement in the case of the service pensions law for magistrates, and the reaction of the Minister of Investments and European Projects, Dragoș Pîslaru, is extremely harsh.
The official describes the situation as „absolutely unacceptable” and talks about the risk of the judiciary being captured by „a circle of interests.”
"I will say it loud and clear, justice cannot be captured by a circle of interests around a leadership that is under media investigations suggesting despotism and political partisanship. (...) Injustice is blatant, it is evident, and it is unacceptable," Pîslaru said on Digi24.
He specified that the statements are made in a personal capacity, not in an institutional one.
Postponement until February 18
The CCR had already postponed four times the pronouncement on the magistrates' pensions law, and on Wednesday decided on a new postponement, until February 18, 2026.
The judges argued that the request made by the High Court of Cassation and Justice, which asked for the Court of Justice of the European Union to be notified, needs to be analyzed.
The High Court of Cassation and Justice argues that the law could treat magistrates "discriminatorily" compared to other beneficiaries of service pensions and could affect the "adequate level of financial security of judges."
231 million euros at stake
Pîslaru warns that the new postponement risks leading to the loss of 231 million euros from the NRRP, recently emphasized also by Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan.
"We are talking about money, about 231 million euros that we will lose, and (...) we are perhaps talking above all about people's feelings about what is happening in society and the feeling related to justice," the minister stated.
According to him, the law represents an agreed milestone with the European Commission, and its adoption and promulgation would have allowed the unlocking of the sum.
"The Government has done its part"
From an institutional perspective, Pîslaru argues that the Executive led by Ilie Bolojan was the first to take concrete steps to correct the inequities in the system.
He recalled that a previous version, based on overtaxation, was rejected by the CCR and there were suspicions that it was designed to be rejected.
"We came up with a good project back in September 2025 to solve this problem of inequity and budget unsustainability. (...) We discussed with the European Commission, the project was agreed upon," the minister explained.
Open dispute with CSM
Pîslaru also criticized the public positions of the Superior Council of Magistracy, stating that they contested the need for reform.
"We witnessed a debate in the public space led by a CSM that called the Prime Minister a liar and attacked the government by saying that this reform is not necessary," he said.
The minister emphasized that the issue of the budget deficit and the sustainability of the pension system falls within the exclusive prerogatives of the Executive, and that a potential blocking of the reform would represent "a very serious blow to the constitutional balance."