The French Constitutional Council approved the pension reform bill yesterday (14th), and protests and demonstrations took place across the country.
(European News Agency, Reuters; synthesized by this newspaper)
[Instant News/Comprehensive Report] The annuity reform bill forced by French President Macron in March this year was approved by the French Constitutional Council yesterday. Macron quickly promulgated the bill today (15th), and the decree came into effect. This includes raising the retirement age for French citizens from 62 to 64.
According to comprehensive foreign media reports, on Friday (14th), the French Constitutional Council rejected some parts of the pension reform bill, but approved the increase of the minimum retirement age. The focus of the protests of the reformers.
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Following the ruling, demonstrations took place across France, where the country's main trade unions have organized 12 nationwide protests since January in hopes of blocking the law, and now call on people across the country to hold an international meeting on May 1. On Labor Day, large-scale protests were held again, demanding that Macron withdraw the bill.
The French government says it requires people to work two years longer before retiring to keep the pension system functioning as the population ages.
Opponents proposed changing the bill to a tax on the wealthy or their employers, a change they said would threaten France's hard-won social safety net.
Macron said that these reforms are necessary, and France needs such an annual reform plan to avoid losses of billions of euros a year ten years from now.