Higher retirement age in France. Macron: Reform is essential

The retirement age will be raised gradually to 65 by 2031, the increase in electricity and gas prices for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will not exceed 15%, and mechanisms will be introduced to dampen price increases, President Emmanuel Macron announced on Wednesday evening in an interview with France 2.

“If we want to be successful, if we want to move forward, we have no choice but to work more,” said the president, recalling that French workers work less time than average Europeans.

“Pension reform is necessary if we want to preserve our social model without increasing taxes” – added the president.

“From the summer of 2023 we will have to move the statutory age by 4 months a year,” explained Macron. This means that the statutory retirement age of 65 will be reached in 2031. The current retirement age in France is 62, but almost every sector of the economy has its own pension arrangements.

Successive governments in France have tried unsuccessfully to implement the pension reform that is opposed by the trade unions. Every attempt to push through the reform causes violent street demonstrations in the country.

The president also assured in an interview that the planned SME support system “will guarantee a reasonable energy price, as in the case of households.” In France, energy prices for households increased by an average of 4% in 2022, and from the beginning of 2023 they will increase by 15 percent

From Paris Katarzyna Stańko (PAP)

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