If for his part, the Federal Minister for Pensions, Jan Jambon (N-VA) said he was open to consultation, he could not hide his annoyance this week in the House: “I regret the actions carried out by the magistrates when we are is in concertation. I have another conception of consultation and how to carry out actions“, He said then. Recalling that we are talking about pensions here around 7000 euros gross and that the planned indexing would have represented around 140 euros additional, Jan Jambon also launched:”They will receive 36 euros, and that would be the big attack on their pension? I don’t agree“.
The magistrates’ pensions are among the highest in the country and the government’s project to apply a limitation of the indexing of pensions above a ceiling of 5,250 euros therefore necessarily concerns them. On this subject, the college of the Public Prosecutor’s Office evokes a potential decrease “30 to 40% of the purchasing power of pensioners’ magistrates“, taking into account the accumulation of the effects of other measures (notably the obligation, from 2027, to be appointed before 27 years and to buy back its years of study to still benefit from a full board of magistrate). All, while the posts of magistrates have been struggling for years to attract candidates.”Many magistrates arrive at the age of the pension without benefiting from a full board because they exercised the profession of lawyers up to thirty-five, forty or even spent fifty years. Full board amounts are not the majority of cases“, Specifies Laurent Sacré.
Behind the scenes, in the corridors of the courts as in the media, the showdown therefore continues between the executive and judicial powers. One as the other still say they are open to dialogue, the Higher Council of Justice calling in particular to “bring together the three powers (Executive, legislative and judicial, editor’s note) Around the table in order to transform the problems into ambitions“. It remains to be seen whether the recent declarations of each other will have helped to install a conducive climate for this future dialogue.
