French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has indicated his support for suspending the 2023 pension reforms, which are set to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. This proposal comes as Parliament anticipates crucial no-confidence votes later this week. Lecornu announced his intention to propose the suspension to Parliament this autumn, which received positive reactions from left-wing parties.
Lecornu was reappointed as prime minister just days after his resignation and is now relying on support from Socialist MPs to ensure his government remains in power. Opposition parties, including those on the far right and far left, have scheduled “censure” votes for Thursday morning and are calling for parliamentary elections. The Socialists have stated they would consider supporting the government, but only if there is a clear commitment to completely suspend the pension reforms. Socialist MP Laurent Baumel emphasized the importance of explicit language regarding the suspension; otherwise, a censure is imminent.
The pension reforms were enacted in March 2023 amidst significant political debate, strikes, and protests, ultimately being passed using a constitutional mechanism that bypassed a traditional vote. Lecornu remarked last week that this method left a lasting impression on democracy for many French citizens.
On Tuesday, he informed MPs that a suspension of the reforms would incur costs of €400 million in 2026 and an additional €1.8 billion in 2027, suggesting that these amounts would need to be offset by other savings. Lecornu’s government faces the challenge of reducing a budget deficit projected to reach 5.4% of GDP this year, while France’s public debt currently stands at €3.4 trillion, or approximately 114% of GDP, which is notably high among eurozone countries.
This decision to reconsider the pension reforms highlights the pressures faced by the Macron administration, as Lecornu has been one of the president’s key allies.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crkldd02xg8o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss