Image: LIONEL BONAVENTURE (AFP)
The French Constitutional Council has approved the main points of the controversial pension reform. In a statement published on Friday evening, the top guardians of the constitution approved, among other things, the most important reform project of Macron’s government, raising the retirement age from 62 to 64. They rejected other points of the reform project.
Success for Macron
For Macron it is a success in the month-long dispute over the reform. But the protests could be further fueled by the decision.
Macron and the center government want to prevent an impending hole in the pension fund with the reform. The payment period for a full pension should increase more quickly. Currently, the retirement age in France is 62 years. In fact, retirement begins later on average: those who have not paid in long enough for a full pension work longer. At the age of 67 there will be a pension without a deduction, regardless of how long it has been paid in – it should stay that way.
Months of mass protests
The project is extremely controversial in France. The unions consider it brutal and unfair. Hundreds of thousands have been on strike and protesting against the reform since the beginning of the year. The government and opposition also exchanged heated blows in parliament. In order to avoid an imminent defeat, the government decided at the last minute to push the reform without a final vote by the National Assembly. Left and right-wing national MPs, left-wing senators and Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne then called the Constitutional Council.
Among other things, the MPs complained that the government packaged 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 conceded a list of older employees that was compulsory for larger companies and a special contract for older employees because they had nothing to do with finances.
Even if the unions want to respect the decision of the Constitutional Council, the protests against the reform could continue. It is conceivable that there could now be more spontaneous actions – possibly again with riots and violence. Some more radical groups could also continue their strikes. The Constitutional Council rejected a procedure for a referendum that wanted to cap the retirement age at 62 years.
Source: Nachrichten
