PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron vowed on Wednesday to implement a pension reform that would eventually raise the retirement age by three years to 65, helping younger people work longer.
In an interview on France 2 television, President Macron said the changes would come into effect next year.
“If we are lucid, there is only one way to do it: we live longer, so work longer,” he said.
The minimum retirement age to receive a full pension will gradually rise from 62 today to 65 by 2031, he said.
Still, Mr Macron said the retirement age was “open” to discussions with unions and possible amendments.
Such measures apply to those who have worked enough to qualify. Like many women who take a career break to raise children, those who don’t qualify now have to work until age 67.
All French workers receive a public pension. Macron said failure to implement these changes would mean the government would have to scale back pensions.
Mr Macron’s comments came after his centrist coalition lost a parliamentary majority in June, making it much harder for his government to pass laws in the lower house of parliament. No, most opposition parties are against pension changes.
On Wednesday, President Macron allied himself with Conservative Republican lawmakers to propose that parliament pass domestic reforms, including changes to pensions.
Earlier this week, his government voted three times of no-confidence prompted by some opposition lawmakers on the left and far right to protest the use of special constitutional powers to force budget bills through parliament. survived the vote.
A proposed overhaul of pensions sparked nationwide strikes and protests at the end of 2019 during Macron’s first term. Mr Macron won re-election for his second term in April.
