Eurofound's EU PolicyWatch collates information on the responses of government and social partners to the COVID-19 crisis, the war in Ukraine, rising inflation, as well as gathering examples of company practices aimed at mitigating the social and economic impacts.
Factsheet for measure RO-2020-23/924 – measures in Romania
Country | Romania , applies nationwide |
Time period | Temporary, 01 June 2020 – 01 June 2021 |
Context | COVID-19 |
Type | Legislations or other statutory regulations |
Category |
Income protection beyond short-time work
– Extensions of income support to workers not covered by any kind of protection scheme |
Author | Victoria Stoiciu (European Institute of Romania) |
Measure added | 05 July 2020 (updated 22 July 2020) |
628,478 workplaces disappeared in the first three months of the COVID-19 crisis (16 March - 17 June 2020). The most vulnerable categories on the labour market are the elderly and youth. In addition, 1.3 million Romanian citizens who previously worked abroad in EU members states such as Spain, Italy, Germany, have returned to Romania after the COVID-19 crisis emerged. Estimations indicate that 300,000 of them are currently looking for a job in Romania. In order to support the labour market integration of returned Romanian workers, especially youth and elderly, and to promote labour market and economic recovery, the Government proposed a set of support measures.
Starting with 1 June 2020, the Government will cover, for a period of 12 months, a 50% share (but not exceeding RON 2,500 - the equivalent of €510) of the wage of those employees who are aged 16-29 or over 50 years, and whose labour contract has ceased during the state of emergency and/or state of alert. The same provision applies to the Romanian workers who previously worked in other EU member countries and whose labour contracts have ceased due to objective reasons. To receive the state support the employees whose contracts ceased must be officially registered as unemployed. It is mandatory for the employers to maintain the labour contact valid 12 months after the support measure ceases.
1,3 million Romanian citizens who previously worked in EU member state have returned back to Romania since the emergence of the pandemic. About 300,000 of them are job-seekers. They are expected to be among the beneficiaries of the measure. The unemployment among youth (15-24) was 17,4% in March 2020, almost three times higher than among the overall population. Some of the unemployed youth will benefit of the measure as well.
Workers | Businesses | Citizens |
---|---|---|
Other groups of workers
Older people in employment (aged 55+) Youth (18-25) in employment |
Applies to all businesses |
Migrants or refugees
|
Actors | Funding |
---|---|
National government
|
National funds
|
Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:
Trade unions | Employers' organisations | |
---|---|---|
Role | Consulted | Consulted |
Form | Any other form of consultation, institutionalised (as stable working groups or committees) or informal | Any other form of consultation, institutionalised (as stable working groups or committees) or informal |
Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:
The social partners have been consulted in the design of the measure. Their involvement was requested by institutional setting. National (cross sector) trade union organisations and employers organisations have been consulted.
There have been no public reaction (in media, on their web-sites, etc) from social partners on the measure. As a rule, the absence of public reaction and criticism from social partners shall be interpreted as a form of agreement with the content of the measure.
Citation
Eurofound (2020), Income support for returning Romanian migrant workers, youth and elderly, measure RO-2020-23/924 (measures in Romania), EU PolicyWatch, Dublin, https://static.eurofound.europa.eu/covid19db/cases/RO-2020-23_924.html
Share
30 January 2023
Governments across the EU continue to implement policies to support citizens and businesses in the face of rising food and energy prices caused by the COVID-19 crisis and intensified by the war in Ukraine. This article summarises the policy responses as reported in Eurofound's EU PolicyWatch database from January to September 2022.
Article12 September 2022
Although the worldwide pandemic situation had already disrupted supply chains and triggered increases in energy and food prices in 2021, the situation deteriorated in 2022 with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Article12 September 2022
This article summarises the first policy responses that governments across the EU have started to implement to support companies affected by the rising prices, and those with commercial ties to Ukraine, Russia or Belarus.
Article5 July 2022
This article summarises the first policy responses of EU Member States, including those of the social partners and other civil society actors, enabling refugees to exercise their rights under the Temporary Protection Directive.
ArticleDisclaimer: This information has not been subject to the full Eurofound evaluation, editorial and publication process.