Transnistrian pensioners are discriminated by Moldovan authorities, Promo-LEX

The Association Promo-LEX says the residents of the Transnistrian region are discriminated because they do not receive pensions from the Moldovan constitutional authorities. The Association’s chairman Ion Manole considers it is not right for the National Social Insurance House (CNAS) to refuse paying social benefits to the entitled Transnistrians for the reason that they receive money from the local social assistance bodies, Info-Prim Neo reports. ”We are convinced that the CNAS does not possess information about the social situation of the people in the region and did not budget money for paying benefits to them. This state institution does not only flout the law, but also treats the country’s people in a differentiated way. The discrimination as regards the payment of pensions diminishes the Transnistrian population’s trust in the Moldovan constitutional authorities,” said Ion Manole. According to him, the Moldovan legislation does not provide for depriving the people of the right to benefit from pensions for the reason that they receive pensions from an ‘unrecognized fund’. The normative documents do not explain the notion of ‘Transnistrian pension’, the character and relevance of this payment. ”We consider the Transnistrian pensions on the one hand are unofficial payments because they are not paid from the state budget, while on the other hand they are private payments because they are paid by institutions/persons that assumed the responsibilities of the CNAS in the region, from unrecognized funds,” said Ion Manole. In such a situation, the Transnistrian entitled to pensions should benefit from them and from the allowances guaranteed by the Moldovan states. Ion Manole said that such a state of affairs makes the people in Transnistria lose trust in the constitutional authorities. As Russia provides bonuses to pensions to the 135 863 pensioners living in the region, the population’s attitude towards the two counties is evident. The Transnistrian authorities provide social benefits to about 200,000 inhabitants of the region, who are mainly citizens of Moldova.