In front of the deputies, Elisabeth Borne was careful not to venture on specific measures.
It was the passage of Elisabeth Borne’s speech that caused the most boos on the benches of La France insoumise and the National Rally. ” Yes, we will have to work gradually a little longer “, declared the Prime Minister, confirming her commitment to carry out the pension reform, promised by Emmanuel Macron for the summer of 2023. “ Our country needs a reform of its pension system (…),we all stand to gain “, she hammered, after a plea in favor of the work, “ key to emancipation “and the only way to ensure” additional resources for our social model ».
Elisabeth Borne was careful not to venture into precise measurements. She did not mention the age (64 or 65) up to which the French will have to work in the future, nor the number of quarters required, and even less the date of entry into force of the reform. On the other hand, faced with extremes on the left and the right, hostile to the reform and favorable to a return to retirement at 60, it reconsidered its necessity for three major reasons.
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On the one hand, France remains an isolated case in Europe. “Our social model is a paradox, both one of the most generous and one of those where we work the shortestrecalled Elisabeth Borne.Our pension system is an exception, while we leave later for all of our European neighbors. On the other hand, in a country faced with a debt bordering on 3000 billion euros and a deficit of 6.4% of GDP last year, pension reform is one of the few levers to bail out the coffers. of State. It’s about “the prosperity of our country and the sustainability of our pay-as-you-go system “, justified the Prime Minister.
Hand held out
Finally, Élisabeth Borne stresses that pension reform is also an issue of social justice, “to build new social progress, but also“so that no pensioner with a full career has a pension of less than 1,100 euros per month”, or“to get out of situations where the same job does not guarantee the same retirement ».
Firm on the principles, the Prime Minister has however shown herself to be open on the means of achieving her objective. If the reform is indispensable “, it is not for all that “tied » and not “won’t be take it or leave it,” she assured. Offering an outstretched hand to the opposition, she said she wanted to carry out consultation with the social partners and involve parliamentarians “as early as possible “. With the risk that it is prolonged and bogged down, compromising the reform.
Either way, the former Minister of Labor pledged to “ensure the retention of seniors in employment“, but also to “take into account long careers and hardship», demands dear to the unions. “I can’t make up my mind to the arduous nature of certain jobs. We must improve working conditions and ensure that our compatriots do not end their careers worn out“, she promised.
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