Macron’s French pension reform

President Emmanuel Macron has pledged to make 2023 the year of pension reform in France. On 10 January Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne set out legislative plans to raise the retirement age by two years to 64, a move the government says is essential to keep the public finances on a sound trajectory and future-proof the country’s cherished pension system for a society that is aging and living longer.

But unlike in his first term, when Macron was forced to shelve his pension reforms to focus on the Covid crisis, the president can no longer count on an absolute majority to help push the controversial bill through parliament. Unions say the pension reform is unfair and unnecessary and have hit back with nationwide strikes. Polls also indicate a majority of French people oppose the policy, with many households already feeling the strain from rising consumer prices. 

This Dods Political Intelligence report, produced by our French monitoring service, provides an overview of Macron’s pension reform plans and a broad range of initial stakeholder reaction.