French Prime Minister Elisabeth Born has announced the adoption of a resounding law raising the retirement age in the country from 62 to 64. informed Reuters. This happened after French President Emmanuel Macron decided to dispense with voting in the lower house of parliament, taking advantage of Article 49.3 of the constitution.
Bourne came to Parliament to announce the launch of a special procedure which will allow this to be done. The opposition greeted her with a whistle, the deputies brandished posters against the pension reform. As a result, the meeting had to be suspended, as representatives of leftist parties began to sing the French anthem.
During Bourne’s speech, the parliamentarians continued to whistle and chant “Resign!”. As Reuters notes, such scenes for the French parliament are rare. The agency assumes that opposition parties are likely to demand a vote of no confidence in the government, but the parliamentary majority will not support it.
Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure said passing the pension law would spark “uncontrollable anger” in France. Communist Party leader Fabien Roussel said the current government was “unworthy of the Fifth Republic and of French democracy”. French right-wing leader Marine Le Pen declared that the French Prime Minister should resign because his actions are a slap in the face to democracy.
In January, the government introduced a bill to raise the retirement age. According to the document, the pension increase will begin on September 1, 2023, by 2030 it will reach 64 years. In addition, by 2027, it is planned to increase to 43 years the seniority required to benefit from a full pension.
However, the retirement age in France is one of the lowest in the European Union (62).
The pension reform has provoked mass protests in France. Opponents of the bill believe it will hit the French, who entered the labor market early or engaged in hard work.
The first national strike of several thousand people took place on January 19 and led to clashes between protesters and the police. Authorities say 1.12 million people took part in the protests, the highest number since 2010. Demonstrations also took place in February and March.
The French Prime Minister explained that the reform aims to avoid a deficit in the country’s pension fund. After the strikes began, she said the government “hears the questions and doubts” the initiative raises.
At the same time born underline that the very fact of raising the retirement age is no longer debatable. She called retirement at 64 a “compromise” the government found after discussions with employers, unions and parliamentary groups.
