President Emmanuel Macron’s landmark pension reform that sparked weeks of nationwide protests passed a critical constitutional test on Friday and may now be enacted in the coming days, Reuters reports.
protests in front of the City Hall in Paris after the Constitutional Court gave the green light to the pension reformPhoto: Lewis Joly/AP/Profimedia
The legislation, which raises the retirement age to 64 from 62, is deeply unpopular in France and has led to huge protests in recent weeks.
But in what will be a major relief for Macron and his government, the country’s Constitutional Council gave the green light – with only a few minor caveats.
The council said the government’s actions were in line with the constitution and approved raising the legal retirement age, while canceling several measures aimed at boosting employment for older workers on the grounds that they were not part of the legislation.
Macron and his government hope such an outcome will deter further union-led protests, which have sometimes turned violent.
“The country must continue to move forward, to work and to face the challenges that await us,” Macron said earlier this week.
The government said the reform would be implemented from September 1 as planned.
But unions and the opposition warned they would not back down and urged Macron not to enact it.
“The fight continues,” said far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon.
Protesters gathered outside Paris City Hall, holding signs reading “climate of anger” and “unrelenting strikes until the reform is withdrawn”, as the Constitutional Council’s verdict was announced.