Edouard Philippe ensured Thursday February 2 sur BFM-TV that he supported “without ambiguity, without flat, without I don’t know what little convolution” the pension reform carried out by the government, which “aims to restore financial balance” et “try to correct some injustices”.
At the start of his long interview, filmed in his city councilor’s office in Le Havre, he thus affirmed that this pension reform “is important, difficult, contested but necessary”.
“I will try to say why it seems to me that this reform is necessary, why it is good for the nation, and why people (…) must take into account the demographic, financial and economic reality. (…) There are advances in this text, there will no doubt be others during the discussion in Parliament. »
Known to be a supporter of raising the retirement age to “at 65, 66 or 67 years old”, Edouard Philippe has been criticized in recent weeks within the majority for his weak media support for the pension reform carried out by the current government, which provides for the postponement of the retirement age from 62 to 64 years old. On Thursday, he attempted to edit that image, hailing the majority’s decision to ” s’engage[r] en beginning of the five-year term” in this construction site. However, he again felt that this reform is “more limited in its ambitions (…) that the 2019 reform”supported by his government, which provided for the abolition of the forty-two special schemes and the implementation of a universal scheme.
Édouard Philippe (@EPhilippe_LH): “Pension reform is important, difficult, contested but necessary” https://t.co/eGBC2TWZOQ
“Trust in parliamentary debate”
Asked about the broad mobilization against the pension reform, the mayor of Le Havre acknowledged the “strong opposition from the French” to the bill, citing the example of his city where 13,000 people demonstrated on Tuesday, ” never seen “, according to him, for more than twenty years that he has been mayor.
While voices critical of the pension reform were raised within the Horizons group in the National Assembly, some threatening not to vote for the reform as it stands, Mr. Phillipe assured: “I don’t think there are any refractories. (…) Horizons MPs will participate loyally in this debate. »
The former head of government pleaded his “confidence in parliamentary debate” and wished that the text be enriched during its passage in the Hemicycle, in particular for “correct some injustices” that could nestle in its current version.
“Let’s take care (…) that, anxious to ensure that the reform is better accepted, and anxious to ensure that there is more justice, which is never a bad objective, we lose sight of the imperative of balancing the system. »
As for the supposed support of the Republican (LR) deputies for the reform, necessary for the government so that the text can be adopted, Mr. Philippe, from the ranks of the right, assured: “I think in the end, Republicans will take responsibility. »