Plugaru: Reform of Military Pensions Is Aimed at Retaining Experienced Personnel

Natalia Plugaru, Minister of Labor and Social Protection, made this statement in connection with a bill that introduces a minimum retirement age for these categories of personnel. According to the draft legislation, this age will be gradually raised to 50. According to the minister, the current law on pensions for military personnel and individuals with special status is outdated and no longer reflects modern realities. “With this law, we want to ensure that people who gain experience and dedicate themselves to this field do not leave the system too early. We realize that this is not an easy reform, nor is it the most popular one,” said Natalia Plugaru, as reported by ipn.md The new provisions will apply to staff at the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Defense, the National Anticorruption Centre, the Security and Intelligence Service, the State Security Service and the National Penitentiary Administration. “At present, the law does not specify a retirement age for these categories at all. People retire after accumulating 12.5 years of specialized service and 25 years of total service. There are cases where some retire just over the age of 30, whilst others do so at 50,” added the minister. According to her, the draft bill introduces a minimum retirement age of 45, which will be increased by six months each year until it reaches 50 within ten years. “Compared with the civilian sector, where people retire at 63, this remains an advantage. We are continuing to maintain special conditions because this is a special kind of work,” the minister concluded.