French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne confirmed on Sunday that the plan to raise the minimum retirement age to 64 is non-negotiable and the result of a necessary consensus to guarantee «the balance of the system» despite strong street protests against the decision.
«This is the compromise we have set ourselves,» the prime minister confirmed to France Info less than 24 hours before the first review of the text in the National Assembly this coming Monday.
The increase in the minimum retirement age by 2030, from the current 62 years, is part of a pension reform that will increase the minimum pension for all beneficiaries by 100 euros per month compared to the current benefit.
The measure will be implemented gradually by adding three more months per year from September, he has said before a long-awaited, at the same time controversial, project announced by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, during the election campaign.
It will also gradually increase the contribution period required to benefit from a full pension to 43 years, although the full retirement age will remain at 67, as reported by ‘Le Parisien’ newspaper.
«And it is a compromise that we put forward after having exchanged impressions with employers, unions and parliamentary groups. It is necessary to ensure the balance of the system,» said the prime minister.
However, Borne has clarified that the conversation in Parliament will be open to other aspects of the working life of the French, especially as regards women. «Today, there are many women who cannot take full advantage of circumstances such as maternity at the end of their working life,» she said.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
