“Work” and “pension reform” are levers of “sustainability” of the French social model, estimated Elisabeth Borne on Friday evening by concluding a National Council for Refoundation (CNR) devoted to the French “social and productive model”.
Our social model is a great strength of our country. It is a model that can protect everyone and also protects the most vulnerable. (…) So we all want to preserve (it), affirmed the Prime Minister in concluding this thematic CNR to the Minister of the Economy.
But it will not be by massively increasing our taxes in the context of inflation, nor by increasing the debt, she added.
As a result, and this is really the lever in which I deeply believe, it is through work that we will be able to ensure the sustainability of our social model, declared the head of government. Work is the path to dignity and emancipation and also what allows us to create wealth and finance this social model.
She also said that the pension reform, which she is due to present next week, was a major lever for increasing the employment rate of seniors and therefore also helping to defend this social model, pointing to the still low employment rates in this category and among young people.
The Prime Minister was accompanied by several ministers, including Bruno Le Maire (Economy), Olivier Dussopt (Labour), Sylvie Retailleau (Higher education and research) and Jean-Christophe Combe (Solidarities).
The French social model is more and more expensive, underlined Bruno Le Maire, for whom the only way is to create more wealth, more jobs, seeing a total link between a totally united social model and a totally efficient productive model. .
Retirement : save by paying less tax. 13 contracts compared
This CNR aimed to debate France’s economic and social strategy around, in particular, innovation, full employment and ecological planning.
Elisabeth Borne will chair on Saturday Matignon another thematic CNR devoted to youth, before participating in the global CNR on Monday at the Elyse.
Supposed to mobilize the living forces of the country, the CNR had been refused its launch on September 8 by the opposition and certain unions.