By unveiling the pension reform, Elisabeth Borne brushes her ally of circumstances in the direction of her hair. The Prime Minister multiplies the gestures to the right. Without it, the relative majority cannot have its text approved by the National Assembly, unless article 49, paragraph 3 of the Constitution is used.
From then on, the head of government chained the calls of the foot, repeating several times “I think of the Republicans” while listing the different provisions of the reform. The levees seem to be falling one after another.
Starting with the postponement of the age of majority at 65, sought by Emmanuel Macron but considered “too brutal” by Éric Ciotti, despite similar commitments by François Fillon and then Valérie Pécresse.
“These 65 years have never been an end in themselves”, explains Élisabeth Borne at the beginning of her speech.
Consequently, “the legal retirement age will be raised progressively 3 months a year until it reaches 64 years in 2030.”
Small pensions, parental leave…
A first point granted to the Senate, whose right-wing majority has been voting for several years for an amendment consisting of raising the legal age to 64 years. But also to speed up the Touraine reform, which provides for a gradual increase in the contribution period.
Green light from Elisabeth Borne on this topic. “We will not go beyond 43 years of contributions […] but we will reach this goal faster, advancing at a rate of one quarter per year. We will be 43 years old in 2027”, explains the person in charge of Matignon.
It is not all. It is also about reassuring the most reluctant LR to the government’s pension reform. Among them, Aurélien Pradié. His party congressional candidate in December, he had campaigned against deferring the age of majority to 64. Invited by LCP on Monday, the Lotois set its “red lines”: that the number of annuities paid prevail over the legal age of departure so as not to penalize those who started working earlier; increase the value of small pensions, even for current retirees; take into account parental leave in the quotes.
What does Elisabeth Borne say? On the first point, first of all, the President of the Government proposes a “fair system” that allows “those who started working early to leave earlier”, highlighting the improvements for long-term devices.
“For those who started between 16 and 18 […] Retirement will be possible from the age of 60 and those who began between the ages of 18 and 20 will be from the age of 62.
“Where is the justice?”
Then, Elisabeth Borne announces a revaluation of small pensions to 85% of net Smic, which means approximately 1,200 euros net and an increase of 100 euros per month. She also indicates that she “decided to integrate” into the project “the revaluation of the pensions of current retirees for all those who have a full career at the Smic level.” Last reconciliation with the right: parental leave will be taken into account.
Ball in the Republican field now. The right “is satisfied to have been heard,” Olivier Marleix told the press calmly. This Wednesday, Bruno Retailleau, head of the LR senators, explained to France Inter that he “does not see how” his party “cannot vote” for a reform that “has been demanding for years.”
Successful bet for the executive? Not so fast. At the same time, Aurélien Pradié is on Sud Radio. For him, the account is not there yet. “Those who worked before the age of 21, and in particular at 20, will be the biggest losers with this reform.” For them, “there is nothing, except the prospect of having to work another year or two,” judges the chosen one who remembers his mantra: give “the scoop [à] listing period”.
At the BFTV-RMC microphone, Xavier Bertrand, who had supported Aurélien Pradié during the first round of the LR congress, sings the same refrain.
“Where is the justice?” asks the president of Hauts-de-France, judging that the government’s project penalizes the youngest who must contribute 44 years.
In the same line of this right that defines itself as “popular”, Pierre-Henri Dumont points out in RFI “holes in the racket”. In his viewfinder, the fact that Elisabeth Borne has not said “explicitly” that the current small pensions “will reach 1,200 euros.” “At the moment, there is a blur”, abounds Aurélien Pradié.
Power balance
The current number 3 of LR also wants to “go further” in terms of parental leave. “We have to see how we can re-evaluate the rooms once there are [des] children,” he said.
For LR, often described as a “government crutch” by the other oppositions, it is a matter of leaving an important mark on this text by influencing the government’s position as much as possible. With the arrival of the song sung by Bruno Retailleau this Wednesday on France Inter. The reform, “we are not the ones who are going to vote for it, it is the government that is going to vote on the reform that we have been proposing to the Senate for several years,” he boasted.
At the moment, the executive does not take the bait and shows off his firmness. Questioned at the end of the Council of Ministers about the life annuities of the youngest, Olivier Véran replied: “What is not negotiable is the balance in 2030 […] However, today the fact of asking the French to work a little more is the essential corollary of the objective that is ours: to balance the pension system.
Source: BFM TV
