'Elite' pensions discriminate other pensioners

The number of elderly people is continuously growing. The state must come up with concrete policies and measures to ensure a decent living for the elderly and to provide employment opportunities after retirement. So-called elite pensions that discriminate other pensioners must be canceled. The topic was discussed by experts at a conference titled “Aging of population: problems and required policies”, organized on the occasion on the International Day of Elderly People, observed on October 1, Info-Prim Neo reports. Valeriu Sainsus, PhD at the Academy of Economic Sciences, named the 'elite' pensions as the problem of the system. On one end there are the small and average pensions, and at the other are the pensions of about 30,000 lei. More than half of the people who worked in agriculture barely receive the minimum pension. He stressed that the measures of social assistance and insurance must be continuously adapted to the demographic, social and economic situation. “According to statistic, 63% of the Moldovan households have people aged over 50. 60% of these people are lonely elderly or aged couples. The aging of population is more of an opportunity than a problem. But it requires us to adjust the economic and pension system to the demographic changes that take place”, declared Sainsus. Academician Gheorghe Paladi said that there are some positives to be drawn from the aging phenomenon, as it means that the life expectancy is higher. However, it also means the need of adequate medical conditions, of decent income and of social assistance tools. Elderly people bust be employed even after retirement. According to a study of the University of Vienna, the number of pensioners in Moldova will reach 1 million in 2050.