on the freezing of retirement pensions, it is Wauquiez who announces the government's retreat

POLITICS – The government is reversing course… but it is not the one announcing it. Laurent Wauquiez, president of the Republican Right group (ex-LR) in the Assembly, assured this Monday, November 11 that he had found a compromise with the government so that “all pensions” are revalued from the “half of inflation” from January 1st.

Among its savings avenues for 2025, the government had proposed as part of the examination of its Social Security financing bill to postpone by six months (from January 1 to July 1) the indexation of pensions on inflation to save around four billion euros. A measure criticized even by supporters of the Barnier coalition in the Assembly.

“There will be an increase in pensions from January 1 for all pensions. It will be about half of inflation”declared Laurent Wauquiez on TF1 news. An announcement which may surprise, when he himself is not a member of the government.

“On July 1, there will be a second increase, this time for the most modest pensions” pour “protect them completely from inflation”he continued, specifying that only those “below the minimum wage” would benefit from this second measure. “It was unacceptable that retirees were the scapegoats for the waste that had occurred”justified the deputy.

Barnier will give details “soon”

“The Prime Minister is open to compromise. They discussed this subject with Laurent Wauquiez and he will have the opportunity to give details soon”the head of government's entourage told AFP. An amendment to this effect should be tabled during the debates on the Social Security budget in the Senate, said an LR parliamentary source.

Laurent Wauquiez immediately quantified the benefits of the measure. “For a retired caregiver, who receives 1,000 euros of retirement per month (…) this will represent a gain over the year of 200 euros”he affirmed, grateful “modest amounts”. More “for someone who has a small pension it matters”he justified.

To finance this revaluation, which according to him would cost “between 500 million and 1 billion” euros, the former president of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region intends to seek “1 billion” in the rationalization of « bureaucracy administrative »in particular by merging certain organizations such as “France Strategy”, “the High Planning Commission”, « France 2030 »et “the Center for Prospective Studies”.

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