The French government passed a pension reform law bypassing parliament. The document sparked a massive protest. The chance that the National Assembly (French Parliament) would approve the controversial bill was rather slim. President Emmanuel Macron and the Cabinet of Ministers did not want to take risks and took advantage of a half-forgotten article of the constitution.
“We will not take the risk of hours of debate, we will not risk the future of our pension system. We can’t bet on her future. This reform is necessary. I am given to our social model, and this reform is the fruit of a compromise that legislators in both houses of parliament agreed to. I am ready to take responsibility for it. According to article 49.3 of the constitution, the government takes responsibility for this law“, – said French Prime Minister Elisabeth Born.
The government’s decision caused a new wave of unrest. In and around Paris’s Place de la Concorde, protesters burned piled rubbish and threw stones at police officers. Police responded with water cannons and tear gas grenades.
By 9 pm local time, the police went on the offensive. Using shields and clubs, they drove most of the demonstrators out of the square. During the riots in Paris, the police arrested more than 200 people. But the French media are sure that this is only the beginning of riots across the country.
The law is intended to implement one of Macron’s main campaign promises – to raise the retirement age in France from 62 to 64 years. This will be done in stages. The transition is expected to be completed by 2030.
In addition, the reform provides for an increase to 43 years of the minimum period during which contributions must be made in order to receive pension payments in full. Many older people in France are now working beyond the retirement age of 62 to accumulate the required number of contributing years. However, citizens who have reached the age of 67 have the right to receive a pension in full, regardless of the period in which these contributions were made.
The president and the government say that this will increase the minimum pension to 1,200 euros per month.
But the trade unions consider the pension reform unfair and unreasonably tough. They are calling for a referendum. According to polls, two-thirds of French people oppose the reform.
The opposition can take advantage of the situation and initiate a vote in parliament on the confidence of the government of Elizabeth Born.
Recall, experts believe that in Ukraine the retirement age will have to be raised, moreover, in the coming years.
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Source: Fakty
I am Joseph Zeman, a journalist who mostly covers world news for the Daily News Hack. I pride myself on being able to find and report stories that others might miss. I have a knack for being able to see both sides of every issue and this allows me to provide readers with well-rounded stories. In addition to my work as a journalist, I am also an author and have written several books on current affairs.
