The National Social Insurance Company CNAS has signed a Protocol of Cooperation with the Employers’ Association ACLI and the Partnership for Territorial Assistance and Consultancy which aims to advise Moldovan citizens who have worked in both Moldova and Italy on their pension rights and other social security benefits. The protocol was signed by CNAS General Director Valentina Buliga during a visit to Rome.
Valentina Buliga also had a meeting with Pasquale Tridico, president of Italy’s National Institute of Social Insurance. The Moldovan official noted that the signing of the Protocol is a step closer to having a full-fledged social security agreement between the Republic of Moldova and the Italian Republic
At present, Moldova and Italy don’t have such a bilateral agreement to set out social security guarantees for the citizens of both countries. Nevertheless, Moldovans who have been officially employed in Italy may claim a pension from the Italian government through Patronato ACLI.
Under Italian law, retired foreigners who returned permanently to their countries of origin, including Moldova, may seek public pensions. To date, Patronato ACLI has helped 800 beneficiaries in Moldova to secure Italian pensions, ranging from 17 to 500 euros a month.
The applications for Italian pensions are reviewed by the National Institute of Social Insurance. Applicants must hold a Moldovan passport and an italian fiscal code (Codice Fiscale), and have a valid euro bank account opened in any Moldovan bank.
At present, some 140,000 Moldovans with residence permits are officially registered in Italy.
During her Rome visit, Valentina Buliga also met with representatives of the Moldovan diaspora in Italy to brief them about CNAS work in the field of social security.