Romania faces billions‑lei budget strain from judge salary orders and teacher pay cuts

Romania’s Finance Ministry warned the government that a court ruling requiring the state to pay salaries won by magistrates could add roughly 4.5‑4.8 billion lei to the 2026 budget. The High Court of Cassation and Justice (ICCJ) may also impose daily penalties of up to €9 million if the payments are not made on time, with a 1% per‑day fine that could amount to about 48 million lei. The ministry argues that the court‑set ten‑day deadline conflicts with constitutional budget procedures.

From 1 July 2026, the hourly wage for debut‑level teachers in pre‑university schools will drop to 38.02 lei gross (about 22 lei net), down from 88.01 lei before the 2025 law change. The reduction results from Government Decision 146/2026, which raised the minimum gross wage and increased the average monthly working hours used in the salary formula introduced by Law 141/2025. The new calculation cuts the unit cost of extra teaching hours, helping the government reduce the budget deficit, which fell by 30 billion lei in the first five months of 2026.