03/16/2023 05:15 (act. 03/16/2023 05:15)
There have been demonstrations against the planned pension reform for weeks ©APA/AFP
The dispute over the controversial pension reform in France is coming to an end. Both houses of parliament are expected to vote on the government’s plans to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 on Thursday. Reform could then be decided upon. A commission made up of members of the Senate and the National Assembly crafted an agreement between the chambers on Wednesday.
The renovation is considered one of President Emmanuel Macron’s most important projects. Senate approval is considered certain. In the National Assembly, the majority for the bill did not seem certain until the end. The government does not have an absolute majority in the Chamber. She has the votes of conservative Republicans, whose faction is divided.
Currently, the retirement age in France is 62. In fact, retirement starts later on average: those who haven’t paid enough time to receive a full pension work longer. At age 67 there will then be a pension without any deductions, regardless of the time of payment – the government wants to keep it, even if the number of years needed to pay the full pension increases faster than previously planned. He wants to increase the minimum monthly pension to around 1,200 euros. With the reform, the government wants to close the looming gap in the pension fund.