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In France, the pension reform is being wrestled with. The government calls it a bailout of the pension system. The opposition thinks this is exaggerated.
The pension reform is the great prestige project of French President Emmanuel Macron. However, the plan is highly controversial, both among the people and in the National Assembly. This has been shown in the last two weeks. No final decision has yet been made in the debate. Instead, the opposition and the government are engaged in an exhibition battle that does not shy away from personal attacks.
Reform as a rescue program
The government presents its reform as a rescue program for the existing pension system. According to Gabriel Attal, Minister for Government Action and Public Finances, everything else is an illusion. In his opinion, pensions will soon no longer be affordable and would otherwise have to be reduced.
In reality, it is a matter of choosing between the ego of President Macron, who wants to push through this pension reform, and the general interest.
Attal goes on to say that the number of pensioners has practically doubled within a generation. That is why almost all other European countries have increased the retirement age.
It’s not about the general interest
“This representation is completely exaggerated,” counters Mathilde Pano, the leader of the Left Party, at Attal’s statements. According to Pano, even the National Council of Experts describes the government’s forecasts as exaggerated. She also criticizes the President directly: “In reality, it is about the decision between President Macron’s ego, who wants to push through this pension reform, and the general interest.” The aim of the bill is not to serve the people, but to save the boss’s authority.
The minister is a liar and a murderer.
The largest faction in the left alliance, “La France insoumise”, did not shy away from further personal attacks. Aurélien Saintoul accused Labor Minister Olivier Dussopt of downplaying the number of accidents at work in recent years. According to Saintoul, these accidents continue to increase as the workload increases due to the higher retirement age. This fact led Saintoul to state: “The minister is a liar and a murderer”.
Legend:
Protests against the pension reform are taking place on the streets of France.
Keystone/Teresa Suarez
Such personal attacks are not appreciated throughout the Left Alliance. The leader of the communist faction called the speech unacceptable. In his view, the democratic debate should consist of the exchange of arguments and not of insults.
No result after debate
The National Assembly was given just under three weeks for the Commission to read and prepare the first proposal. It turned out to be too little. MEPs tabled over 20,000 amendments. The largest part came from the pen of «La France insoumise».
I’ve been insulted for two weeks now, but the government won’t give up.
The National Assembly completed the first reading of the pension reform without even addressing the most controversial point: raising the retirement age from 62 to 64. “La France insoumise” left the hall at midnight and Olivier Dussopt called out: “I’ve been insulted for two weeks now, but the government will not give up.”
It’s now up to the Senate, where the government can hope for more support given the conservative Republican majority there. Later, however, the compromises must also be viable in the National Assembly.