French Parliament Approves Controversial Pension Reform Bill Text

On Wednesday, a committee composed of members from the French National Assembly and the Senate approved the final version of the pension reform bill. This was announced by Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne on her Twitter account.

“Seven deputies and seven senators of various convictions reached an agreement and proposed a unified text for the maintenance of our pension system,” said the head of the government.

According to CNEWS, ten members of the committee voted in favor of the final text, while four voted against it. After being confirmed by the committee, the bill will be put to a vote first in the Senate on March 16, and then in the National Assembly. If both chambers vote in favor of the document, it will be officially ratified by the parliament.

The pension reform proposal was presented to Borne in mid-January. Along with raising the retirement age to 64, it includes increasing the minimum pension to 1,200 euros and eliminating certain special pension regimes.

March 15 marked the eighth national day of protests against the reforms in France, with over 1 million people participating in several previous demonstrations across the country. Meanwhile, government spokesperson Olivier Véran stated earlier that the cabinet would not retreat from the pension reforms despite the protests.