Romania's single salary law criticised for frozen pensions and rising public‑sector pay

Financial analyst Adrian Negrescu warned that Romania's proposed single salary law would keep about 460,000 pensions frozen for two years while increasing public‑sector wages, creating a budgetary imbalance. He described the draft as a “struțocămilă” that was rushed without an impact study, noting the budget envelope of 176 billion lei and the risk of pressuring the deficit, which is slated to fall below 5 %.

Europarliamentarian Gheorghe Pipera echoed these concerns on social media, citing President Nicușor Dan’s promise to raise salaries for everyone and arguing that the law may actually reduce revenues for many. Pipera highlighted that key state‑functioning groups – teachers, doctors, police, magistrates and military personnel – could face income cuts, jeopardising institutional stability and the confidence of young people entering public service. Both critics stress that the legislation lacks proper job‑description linkage, could pressure the state budget, and may exacerbate austerity measures affecting retirees and other vulnerable groups.