In the future, most French people will not be allowed to retire until the age of 64. This has been decided by the French Constitutional Council. French President Emmanuel Macron should be happy for only a short while as the country now prepares for further violent protests.
French President Emmanuel Macron’s controversial pension reform may come into effect. The French Constitutional Council has approved the outline of the controversial pension reform. In a statement released Friday evening, the top guardians of the constitution endorsed Macron’s reform project to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. They rejected other points of the reform project.
For Macron, it is a success in the months-long dispute over the reform. But the protests could be further sparked by the decision.
Macron and the center government want to prevent an imminent gap in the pension fund with the reform. The payment period for a full pension should increase more quickly. The retirement age in France is currently 62 years.
Pension reform highly controversial
In fact, retirement starts later on average: those who have not paid in long enough for a full pension, work longer. At age 67, there will be a no-withholding pension regardless of how long it has been paid — it should stay that way.
The project is highly controversial in France. The unions think it’s brutal and unfair. Hundreds of thousands have gone on strike since the beginning of the year to protest the reform. The government and opposition also exchanged fierce blows in parliament.
To avoid impending defeat, the government decided at the last minute to pass the reform without a final vote by the National Assembly. Left and right national MPs, left-wing senators and Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne then convened the Constitutional Council.
The MPs complained, among other things, that the government wrapped the reform in a budget text and shortened the debate time in parliament. However, the supreme guardians of the French constitution saw no problem in this.
On the other hand, they admitted a list of older workers that was mandatory for larger companies and a special contract for older workers because they had nothing to do with finances.
Violent protests expected
Even if the unions want to respect the Constitutional Council’s decision, protests against the reform could continue. It is conceivable that there will now be more spontaneous actions – possibly with riots and violence again.
The Constitutional Council rejected a referendum procedure that wanted to limit the retirement age to 62 years.
Source: Krone
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