During his general policy speech Tuesday afternoon, the Prime Minister announced a three-month “conclave” to revise Emmanuel Macron's pension reform, “without any totem and without any taboo” on the ultra-contested departure at 64 years.
François Bayrou may have given a nod to recent cinema news on Tuesday afternoon. During his general policy speech delivered to the deputies, the head of government announced the organization of a “conclave” in order to restart work on the 2023 pension reform. A term which is not without making one think for the Edward Berger film released at the end of the year and which is a favorite for the next Oscar ceremony.
The conclave designates the assembly of cardinals which elects the sovereign pontiff after the death of the pope. And the film illustrates this high-risk mission, in a small world of clergy where everyone knows everyone and where resentments are stubborn. Especially since internal struggles are added to political rivalries, between the proponents of a church open to the world and the guardians of the temple. The use of the word “conclave” by the Prime Minister therefore gives an overview, in another register, of the challenge represented by this three-month meeting of social partners which is supposed to lead to a review of the latest pension reform.
A specialist on the subject to lead discussions
If François Bayrou is setting up this “conclave”, it is because he has noted that many participants in the discussions on pensions affirm that there are “ways of progress” within the framework of the latest reform and that he It is possible to make it “fairer” while obtaining “the same result” of reducing the deficit of the pay-as-you-go system. The head of government describes this “conclave” project as an “unprecedented and somewhat radical method”.
Concretely, it will be a question of bringing together all the social partners, both trade unions and employers' organizations, in the same place in order to put on the table all the avenues identified so that “the reform is socially more just and yet balanced. ” Upstream, a flash mission is entrusted to the Court of Auditors in order to “take stock of all the data concerning pensions, so that the findings are shared” by all the participants as explained on Wednesday morning on BFMTV the Minister of Labor, Health, Solidarity and Families of France Catherine Vautrin.
“Each of the social partners will have the right to have the issues that concern them included on the agenda of these discussions and negotiations,” underlined François Bayrou, recalling that “nothing is closed.”
The discussions will be led by a specialist in the subject of pensions who will be appointed “in the coming days” according to Catherine Vautrin who specifies that it will not be a “politician”. On Franceinfo, the Minister responsible for Labor and Employment Astrid Panosyan-Bouvet indicated that “the meeting will be led by a trusted third party: an expert, a guarantor of the negotiation someone who can generate confidence” and asked “the social partners to suggest some names”.
An agreement transcribed into a law or integrated into the PLFSS 2026
The “conclave” project should come to fruition this week. While union representatives indicated on Wednesday morning that the preliminary meeting desired by François Bayrou before the weekend would ultimately be postponed, Matignon has just confirmed that it would be held on Friday at 11 a.m. The Prime Minister will propose to the representatives of each organization “to work around the same table, to sit in the same offices, together, for three months from the date of the Court of Auditors' report.”
At the end of this three month period, two options will appear. Either the “conclave” will have led to “an agreement of balance and better justice” around pensions in which case it will be adopted by means of a law or within the framework of the financing bill for the Social security 2026. Otherwise, the head of government warned that the current pension reform would continue to apply.
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