Unemployment insurance claims subject to three-year general statute of limitations under Law No. 76/2002

The High Court of Cassation and Justice, sitting as the Panel for Resolving Legal Issues, admitted the preliminary reference submitted by the Court of Appeal of Craiova and established that the general statutory limitation period referred to in Article 47(2) of Law No. 76/2002 regarding the unemployment insurance and employment promotion system is three years. This ruling resolves a dispute concerning the interpretation of the limitation period applicable to claims under the unemployment insurance system, clarifying that the "general legal prescription term" is not a distinct or extended period but aligns with the standard three-year extinctive prescription. The decisive legal basis identified by the court consists of Article 3(1) of Decree No. 167/1958 concerning extinctive prescription and Article 2517 of the Civil Code, which define the three-year general limitation period for such obligations.