Romanian Judges: Work Hours Compared to Europe
- What: Romanian President Nicușor Dan claims romanian judges work significantly more than their counterparts in other European countries.
- When: Claim made on september 18, 2025, amidst government plans to raise the judicial retirement age.
- Why it Matters: The claim impacts proposed austerity measures and potential changes to judicial retirement, sparking debate about workload and fairness.
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Romania’s President Claims Judges Work More Than European Counterparts
Table of Contents
published on • Updated
The Claim and Context
Romania’s president Nicușor Dan recently claimed that judges in his country work significantly more than their counterparts in other European states.
“Judges in Romania have worked two or three times more than their counterparts in European countries over the years,” he said during a visit to Chișinău in Moldova.
Government Austerity Measures and proposed Retirement Age Increase
He made the comments in the context of a plan by the government to raise the retirement age for judges to 65 as part of a raft of austerity measures. As things stand, judges can retire as early as the age of 47 if they have served for 25 years.
Dan argued that the increase was unfair, given the alleged extra work that Romanian judges put in compared to other countries, and requested the government implement the change gradually over the next 15 years, instead of the initially scheduled 10.
Alternative Proposals for Retirement Adjustments
He also suggested doubling the amount of time a judge has to continue working until retirement, rather than a blanket raise to 65. For example, a 46-year-old judge with only one year to go would now have to work two years more, or someone due to stop in three years would rather have to work six.
Judges in every other EU country retire between 65 and 70.
Workload Comparison: Data from the Council of Europe
To compare the workload of judges in european countries, EuroVerify analysed figures in a recent report by the Council of Europe’s European Commission for the Efficiency of justice (CEPEJ).
CEPEJ Data Analysis
The CEPEJ report provides a complete overview of judicial systems across Europe, including data on caseloads, clearance rates, and the time taken to resolve cases. While the report doesn’t directly