Social Democratic Party (PSD) president Marcel Ciolacu argues for renegotiating the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) with the European Commission, both in terms of agriculture and the percentage of GDP allocated to the public pension system.

On the former topic, his party would like investments for the irrigation system, while in regard to the latter, it feels constrained by the 9.4%-of-GDP cap for the expenditures from the public pension system.

PSD chief Ciolacu argues that Romania cannot afford the luxury of investing billions of European funds "in bicycle lanes" and no money in irrigation, given the current global context, according to News.ro. At the same time, he says that the Romanian retirees cannot stay with their pensions at the current level.

Labour minister Marius Budai also said in a press conference in Iasi on May 29 that the European average regarding the share of pensions in GDP is between 12.5% and 13%. Anyways, Romania should not target a certain percentage - but settle income disparity.

"I will propose the elimination of the percentage because, in the end, each Member State must have the independence to decide its social policies. I am a staunch pro-European, and [atthe same time]I make it clear that states must decide their own policies," Marius Budai said, quoted by News.ro.

andrei@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Facebook/Marcel Ciolacu)