Status: 03/22/2023 4:40 p.m
Weeks of protests and two motions of no confidence: The headwind to President Macron’s pension reform is huge in France. Now he defended his actions in a TV interview. He accepts that this will make him unpopular.
French President Emmanuel Macron has shown his determination to push through the controversial pension reform by the end of the year, despite nationwide protests. Macron announced in one of his rare television interviews that he would stand firm on the issue.
“I don’t enjoy it,” Macron told broadcasters TF1 and France 2. “This reform is not a luxury, it is not a pleasure, it is a necessity for the country.” He regrets that he did not succeed in convincing people better of his plans. But the reform of the pension system is of national interest. Macron emphasized that the pension fund was no longer balanced. “And the longer we wait, the worse it gets.”
Macron: Accept unpopularity
Alternatives to reform were to lower pensions, raise taxes or build up more debt. The President rejected all variants. Macron said of the population’s massive rejection of the reform: “Between the polls and the short-term and the general interest of the country, I choose the general interest of the country.” The reform is very difficult. “We ask people to make an effort. It’s never popular,” he said. “If that makes me unpopular, then I’ll take it upon myself.”
The President expressly expressed his confidence in Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne. He instructed them to look for larger majorities in parliament, to find supporters in other parties who want to join the government’s individual legislative initiatives.
Union calls for protests again
Looking to the future, Macron also said that one must continue to work on a reform agenda and get back into dialogue with the unions. Union representative Philippe Martinez reacted promptly and called Macron’s statements unrealistic and aloof. “He acts as if those who complain didn’t understand anything,” said the head of the CGT union. He is completely convinced of himself and what he does – “and that’s bad”. For tomorrow, the unions have called for the ninth nationwide day of strikes and protests.
France’s central government wants to gradually raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. The number of payment years for a full pension should increase faster. In recent months, hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets to protest against the reform. There were several clashes between the police and demonstrators.
Macron’s government nevertheless launched the reform last week. On Monday evening she cleared the last parliamentary hurdle when two motions of no confidence in Borne’s government fell just short. It is currently before the Constitutional Council. If the latter confirms the reform, it will come into force.