PARIS (Realist English). On January 10, French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne will announce the government’s plans for pension reform, France 24 TV channel reports.
The centrepiece of the legislation will be raising the retirement age from 62 to as late as 65 or face having monthly payouts curtailed.
The opposition and trade unions reject this proposal, which previously led to mass protests. In the winter of 2019-2020, demonstrations paralyzed much of Paris before pension reform was temporarily postponed.
On average, the French retire earlier than in many neighboring countries. According to the Pensions advisory council (Conseil d’orientation des retraites, COR) , the average age at which French citizens start using their pension funds in 2019 was 62.6 years for women and 62 years for men. In Italy, the average age for men and women is 63 years, in Germany – 64 years, and in the Netherlands, where women retire a few months later than men, the average age is 66 years. President Emmanuel Macron insists that reforms are necessary to save the system, which in its current form is unstable, but many are not convinced by the arguments of the Elysee Palace.
“If we don’t enact these reforms, the current system is in danger,” Macron told TF1 in early December.
Macron came to power in 2017, promising to optimize the pension system. His initial plan was delayed by the COVID-19 epidemic, but he is determined to make changes during his second term in office.
