In his general policy speech, the new Prime Minister mentioned a two-step plan. A union delegation will work for 3 months on a report from the Court of Auditors.
No suspension. While the left has made it a condition of non-censorship, François Bayrou confirmed this Monday in his general policy speech that he would not suspend the 2023 reform adopted by 49.3 by Elisabeth Borne, preferring to take advantage of “a shooting window”, while the 2023 law provides that “the legal age of departure would increase to 63 at the end of 2026”.
Instead of this suspension, the Prime Minister announced two stages: first, the Court of Auditors will be responsible for a flash mission, which “will be based on an observation and indisputable figures”. He cites in particular the work carried out by the High Planning Commission at the end of 2022.
After this flash mission, which will only last a few weeks and should give a “precise result of the state of the pension system”, the executive will hand over to the social partners, who will have to discuss during a 3-month “conclave”. . A permanent delegation made up of personalities from the unions will therefore have to work on a new version between now and the fall. With one condition.
“We can seek a new path of reform, without any totem and without any taboo, not even the retirement age, provided that it meets the set requirement. We cannot degrade the financial balance that we we are looking for and on which almost everyone agrees.”
If the social partners agree, this text will have to be studied by Parliament during the fall, during the adoption of the social security finance bill (PLFSS). The permanent delegation should be formed this Friday, January 17.
-Shooting window
Without union agreement, the old text of 2023 will apply. François Bayrou spoke of a “firing window”, with the planned increase in the starting age, to 63 at the end of 2026. It is therefore before the adoption of the PLFSS – and the parliamentary debates will begin in September – that the unions must rule: before summer, therefore.
The Prime Minister's idea is said to have received the support of the Socialist Party. At the end of discussions Monday evening, the First Secretary General of the PS, Olivier Faure, would have formulated a similar proposal, AFP learned.
“We are perhaps a stone's throw, a few hours away from a possible agreement,” he said a few hours earlier on BFMTV et RMC.
While the rest of the left-wing parties are going to vote on a motion of censure, the PS has therefore backed down on one of its conditions for supporting the new government. The socialists have been demanding in recent days that the suspension of the pension reform be effective from the start of the renegotiation of the law, and not only in the event of success. According to François Bayrou's plans, this would no longer be the case.
For French people concretely affected by retirement this year, the result of this new project is not yet established: they could be able to retire at 62 years and 6 months (with a contribution period of 42 years and one quarter) instead of 62 years and 9 months (with a duration of 42.5 years) – which was provided for in the 2023 text.
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