The Superior Council of Magistracy (SCM) requested the Constitutional Court to declare provisions of the law of December 2020, which provides for the augmentation of the retirement age for judges, unconstitutional, IPN reports.

Under this law, the retirement age for judges as of July 1, 2021 will be 50 years and six months and this will rise gradually to 63 years. Each year the retirement age will increase by six months.

Also from July 1, the general seniority for judges will be at least 20 years and six months and seniority as a judge will be at least 13 years that will be needed for obtaining the right to pension. Each subsequent year, the general seniority and seniority as a judge will rise by six months until general seniority of 34 years and seniority on the job of 15 years are reached. The pension will be equal to 55% of the average monthly salary. For each full year of work outside general seniority, the pension will rise by 3%. Also, the pension cannot exceed 80% of the average monthly salary.

The SCM noted the provisions of this law should be declared unconstitutional because the social guarantees of judges were diminished significantly. Also, the lawmakers’ decision to increase the retirement age for judges is contrary to the case law of the Constitutional Court. The SCM considers the criticized law violates the constitutional requirements by the non-observance of the parliamentary procedures, incomplete regulation and the created regulation gap, the discrepancy between the lawmakers’ intention and the regulation reality.