French President Emmanuel Macron made his first public speech on Wednesday after passing a disputed pension reform that raises the retirement age without a parliamentary vote, and after his government passed two no-confidence votes linked to the same issue. Macron was interviewed on live TV by journalists from the two largest French television networks, TF1 and France 2, and said that although he knows that the reform is a sacrifice for many people, at the same time it is necessary to avoid the collapse of the pension system.
Macron also spoke of the large protests that have been involving dozens of French cities for weeks now, saying that he respects those who demonstrate but condemns the violence. In any case, the reform, Macron said, will complete its parliamentary process and will enter into force as soon as possible, by the end of 2023.
The pension reform wanted by Macron provides for an increase in the retirement age from 62 to 64, an increase in minimum pensions and the abolition of a whole series of exceptional measures which allowed some categories of workers to retire earlier. It was a particularly controversial reform, which threatened to bring down the French government led by Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne.
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At the time of presenting the reform in parliament, the government had failed to secure in advance the necessary votes to pass it and had therefore activated article 49.3 of the Constitution, a legislative procedure which allows for forcing the approval of a text without going through the vote of deputies. However, the mechanism of 49.3 allowed the opposition to present “motions of censure” – the French equivalent of a motion of no confidence – against the government: two were presented, which the government managed to pass by a very few votes.
Meanwhile, well-attended protests and demonstrations took place across France, with limited incidents of violence. For days now, strikes have been going on that have a great impact on people’s lives, such as that of the garbage collectors, who are filling the streets of cities with waste.
Throughout this law-approving process, Macron remained relatively on the sidelines, pushing Prime Minister Borne forward. Wednesday’s interview, therefore, was a long-awaited interview, in which the president claimed the need for the reform, which for Macron must be approved despite the awareness that it could create problems for many people:
“This reform is necessary. And I tell the French: all this does not please me. I would have preferred not to.”
Macron said raising the retirement age is practically inevitable because the French population is aging and in a few decades the system risks becoming unsustainable. He recalled that when he started working there were 10 million pensioners in France while now they are 17 million: and they will continue to grow.
Opponents of the reform counter this argument by arguing that the resources needed for pensions should not be taken by workers, but by taxing large companies and the wealthiest segment of the population.
Speaking of the protests, Macron said that “there are demonstrations organized to say ‘I’m against’, and this is legitimate”, but added that “together with this there are blocks, violence” which “will not be tolerated” .
The unions have announced a new day of general mobilization for Thursday, but strikes by individual categories of workers are already underway. Teachers are partly blocking early tests for the French baccalaureate (a writing session was introduced as early as March) and strikes have shut down some refineries, causing fuel shortages at many petrol stations, especially in the southeast of the country .
