The Romanian government published a draft law on Wednesday to cap magistrates’ pensions at 70 percent of their final net salary and to gradually raise their retirement age to 65 over 15 years starting from Jan. 1, 2026.
The proposal has been released for public consultation as part of a transparency procedure. The Ministries of Labour and Justice put forward the bill, saying that it aims to “bring more sustainability and fairness” to the special pension system for judges and prosecutors.
Under the draft law, a magistrate’s pension would be calculated as 55 percent of the average gross salary over their final five years in office, but the amount could not exceed 70 percent of their last net pay. To qualify for retirement, magistrates must complete at least 25 years of service, while up to 10 years of work in other legal professions may be counted as equivalent service.
Currently, Romanian magistrates retire at a far younger age than the national standard of 65, with many judges and prosecutors leaving the profession at around 48 to 49 years old. Furthermore, some receive pensions equal to 80 percent of their final gross salary, which, according to local media, exceeds the salary many workers earn during active employment.
Critics argue that the uneven retirement arrangements result in disproportionately high benefits for magistrates.
According to data from Romania’s Superior Council of Magistracy, there were 5,071 judge posts and 3,071 prosecutor posts at the start of 2025, totaling 8,142 magistrates.
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