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Romania to be among EU countries hit by population ageing
Romania will be among the European Union countries with the highest rates of population ageing, which will increase the pension costs' weight in the Gross Domestic Product, the Minister of Labour, Family, Social Protection and Elderly Mariana Campeanu said on Thursday at a debate heading 'Pensions Reform - From Experts to the Public.'
'This will result both from lower birth rates, accompanied by infant mortality, and from workforce migration, especially among the young. We must also consider the increase of life expectancy. This is exactly why the percentage of pension expenses in the GDP will grow, becoming one of the highest in the European Union,' Campeanu said.
According to her, increased labour productivity must get into focus from now on.
'With few employees and many pensioners, only labour productivity growth can make the pensions system sustainable. On a general note, a pension system cannot be completely change; it can only change one component at a time,' she stressed.
The Labour Minister admitted that the pension levels are very low in Romania, especially in the public sector.
'The pension levels in Romania are low and we must find solutions to support this system in order to support future generations. The pensions issue is vital, and one of the possible solutions is keeping people active as long as possible,' Mariana Campeanu emphasized.
The debate heading 'Pensions Reform - From Experts to the Public' was organized by the Center of Resources for Public Participation and the Romanian Center for European Policies. The two centers are implementing since July 2013 through October 2014 a project aiming at involving the social actors into debates for drafting public policy proposals for the reform of the pensions system in Romania.