Accesul migranților moldoveni la pensii după experiențele de muncă din Italia: specific și tendințe

The aim of this study is to analyze the situation regarding the access of Moldovan migrants who returned to their country of origin to pensions in Italy after several years of work and a contribution period in the country of migration. The topic of ageing is a current issue for migrants, the number of those arriving at the retirement age is constantly increasing. Some solutions are stipulated in the bilateral agreements regarding social security, signed in the last 20 years by the Republic of Moldova with other countries where there are Moldovan citizens. The first dossiers of pensions from Italy for Moldovan citizens returned to the Republic of Moldova were completed in 2010-2011, and the contribution period was 7-10 years. In recent years, the pension files include a contribution period of 20 years. The number of returned Moldovan migrants who receive pensions from Italy has increased to about 6 thousand. In order to research this issue, we analyzed the national and international normative framework (Republic of Moldova, Italy, European Union), the implementation of the agreement between Moldova and Italy in the social security sector (also taking into account the new Moldovan-Italian agreement, signed in Rome on October 31, 2024, the responsibilities of the National Office of Social Insurance of the Republic of Moldova, the official statistics regarding the community of Moldovan citizens in Italy, etc. We conducted in-depth interviews with the representatives of the ACLI Patronat office in Chisinau (Patacli), operators and experts who provided assistance in completing pension files from 2011. For several years, the SIAS Patronat representatives also assisted Moldovan citizens interested in Italian pensions. Highlighted the arguments regarding the growth of Moldovan migrants with pensions from Italy and the estimations for the next years; the changes, the new agreement; the specifics of the current pension dossiers (types of pensions: for the age limit; disability; survivor's pensions); the conditions to have access to the pensions; the specifics of the highest (or lowest) pensions, etc.