On Thursday, France’s Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne resorted to invoking article 49 paragraph 3 of the country’s constitution to force through its controversial pension reform without a vote at the National Assembly. The question is now how the movement against the bill will evolve, as strikes and protests continue to add up.
Let’s remember that the main objective of this reform project, to which the French are mostly opposed, is to make nearly 18 billion euros in savings. These savings will be dedicated to balancing the system financially, to financing new welfare, but also to sending a signal to our European partners and to the financial markets at a time when the sustainability of French sovereign debt raises concern.
A lot has been written about the bill, from its financial value, to its impact on small pensions, employment of elders or its capacity to do justice to physically demanding jobs.
