Emmanuel Macron persists and signs. Asked this Thursday on BFMTV, the head of state said he was “convinced” that the pension reform was “a necessity” to balance the system and finance several important projects.
“We are in the process of reforming two large public services: the hospital and the school. It costs money. Can we finance it with the deficit? No, we are one of the countries with the largest deficit in Europe. Can we finance it with more taxes? No, we are among the countries that tax the most in Europe”, explained Emmanuel Macron, recalling at the same time that the government has chosen “to protect our compatriots and our companies during Covid” and “in this period of inflation”, which also had the effect of widening the deficit.
“Our regime is in deficit”
“We know the debate. The pension guidance council said a few days ago that our system was in deficit. I say it lucidly, I tell the truth to the French men and women,” Emmanuel Macron reiterated.
It remains to know the contours of the reform to come. If the outgoing president defended during the presidential campaign an increase in the legal exit age from 62 to 65 years, the project is no longer so clear today. In any case, he wants it to take effect in 2023.
With the possibility of integrating measures to work longer in the Social Security financing bill discussed in Parliament in the autumn. An option that is opposed by the president of the National Assembly, Yaël Braun-Pivet, who asks “to take the time for the consultation”. “The government’s amendments must not in themselves carry a substantial reform,” he estimated Thursday on Franceinfo, calling for a “comprehensive reform that must appear fair to our fellow citizens.”
Source: BFM TV
