Bayrou displays his “optimism” despite a big disagreement on the calculation of the deficit – Libération

Perhaps you felt an unusual sensation pass over you this morning when you woke up. Something of the order of “Hey, what if things weren’t so bad?” It may well be that the explanation is quite simple, and can be summed up in these few words: François Bayrou, conclave, retreats. This Friday, January 17, the Prime Minister brought together unions and employers at the Ministry of Labor, in Paris, for the inaugural meeting of what he himself called, in his opening remarks, “a unique, original and optimistic approach”. Which consists of allowing social actors to rework the pension reform adopted in 2023 against the opinion of the social world, “without any totem and without any taboo, not even retirement age” pushed back to 64 years old, he explained during his general policy statement. And François Bayrou to prophesy that “this optimism can restore optimism to French society.” So here we are, to this strange feeling which must begin to take hold of French homes.

“The delegations will live together until the end of the system”

Organized urgently, this first meeting will have mainly served to refine the method and timetable. In front of the microphones, the cameras and the journalists with notebooks who heard nothing, the Prime Minister