For weeks there has been a debate in France about a possible increase in the retirement age. Now there could be a final decision – but the government has to worry.
After weeks of protests and heated debates, the dispute over pension reform in France could come to an end. The Senate and National Assembly are voting today on the government’s plans to gradually raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.
The controversial project could already be decided by the afternoon. But the government and head of state Emmanuel Macron could also face a defeat in one of their most important projects.
Looming holes in the pension fund
Currently, the retirement age in France is 62 years. In fact, retirement begins later on average: those who have not paid in long enough to receive a full pension work longer. At the age of 67 there is then a pension without a deduction, regardless of the payment period – the government wants to keep this, even if the number of payment years required for a full pension is to increase more quickly. The government wants to increase the monthly minimum pension to around 1,200 euros. With the reform, she wants to take action against impending holes in the pension fund.
The project has already passed the first reading through both chambers of the French Parliament. On Wednesday, a commission of members of parliament and senators then drew up a compromise text. The Senate will vote on this in the morning. The approval of the conservative upper house of parliament is considered certain.
Massive protests across the country
However, the situation in the lower house is unclear. The center government does not have an absolute majority in the chamber and is relying on the votes of the Républicains for the reform. However, their faction in the National Assembly is divided. Whether enough Conservative MPs will support the government and get the reform through Parliament is uncertain. The government also has the option of boxing the text with a special article in the constitution without a vote by the National Assembly.
In view of the massive protests against the reform, however, she should want to refrain from forcing the project through parliament if at all possible.
Should the National Assembly actually vote against the reform, the project would not have failed. The government should then return the text to the chambers of parliament for a second reading. Because the government is examining the reform in an accelerated process, parliament only has until March 26 to discuss the text.
piles of rubbish on the streets
The pension plans are not only controversial in Parliament. The unions consider them brutal and unjust. Hundreds of thousands have taken to the streets to protest for weeks. Strikes caused chaos in rail and air traffic, mountains of rubbish on the streets and canceled lessons. According to the Ministry of the Interior, more than a million people took part at the peak of the protests, while the CGT trade union spoke of 3.5 million participants.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
