Macron Postpones Pension Plan Presentation Until January
(Bloomberg) -- Emmanuel Macron postponed the presentation planned this week of controversial reforms of France’s pension system until early next year, citing a need for more talks.
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The president said on Monday that the timing of recent union and political party elections had hampered consultation efforts and put new leaders in place who should have their say. The government will now unveil details of the plan on Jan. 10 instead of Dec. 15.
“This gives us a few more weeks, so that those who have more free time or those who have just taken on new responsibilities can exchange with the government at least on some key elements of the reform,” Macron said at the start of a meeting with a consultative body made up of representatives from the political, economic, social and non-profit sectors.
Macron has said he is determined to overhaul the country’s pension system, including raising the retirement age to 65 from 62, as part of a decade-long transformation of the French economy. He aims to implement the reform, which is meant to ease pressure on public finances, by next summer.
Winter Walkouts
A previous proposal in 2019, which was later abandoned as the country was engulfed by the Covid pandemic, triggered months of transport strikes. Driving forward the reform in mid-December risked fresh walkouts during the winter holidays, while labor and student unions had already slated protests for early January.
Since the last pension push, Macron has also lost his absolute majority in parliament. This means that unless the government gets the backing of some opposition lawmakers for the budget, his government would likely need to use an article in the constitution, called 49.3, that allows bills to be passed without a vote. This would expose it to a no-confidence vote.
In particular, the conservative Republicans have become key as Macron seeks support to pass legislation in the National Assembly. The party on Sunday picked Eric Ciotti, a lawmaker from the southeastern region of Alpes-Maritimes who has called for a crackdown on immigration, and criticized so-called woke and Islamist ideologies, as its new leader.
(Updates with details on pension reform starting in fourth paragraph, Les Republicans election in last paragraph)
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