French prime minister says he will introduce legislation on pensions after talks
French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou speaks during a press conference following meetings with unions and employers after pension talks collapsed, at the Hotel Matignon in Paris, France, June 26, 2025. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
French prime minister says he will introduce legislation on pensions after talks
PARIS - French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said on Thursday he would submit legislation on pensions in the autumn to take into account agreements made in talks between unions and employers during months of talks.
Bayrou said unions and employers' federations had agreed during four months of negotiations that the pension system should break even by the end of the decade and agreed not to roll back a 2023 reform that gradually raises the retirement age from 62 to 64.
He gave unions and employers another 10 days to work out remaining sticking points, mainly about early retirement conditions for physically taxing jobs.
"There will be other improvements over time, but in any case the text, including all its agreements, will be submitted to parliament in the autumn as part of the social security finance bill," Bayrou said in a press conference.
Bayrou is struggling to overcome political divisions as he prepares to present plans next month for 40 billion euros ($46.79 billion) in spending cuts for the 2026 budget, and faces a possible no-confidence vote over pensions.
The 2023 pension reform triggered weeks of protests, and opposition parties on the left and far-right have wanted to get it scrapped after a snap legislative election last year delivered a hung parliament.
Bayrou, a veteran centrist, agreed earlier this year to reopen the subject as a way to win tacit support from Socialist lawmakers to survive no-confidence votes from other opposition parties.
The Socialists introduced a no-confidence motion to parliament on Wednesday, accusing Bayrou of not keeping his promise to put a new pension bill to a vote.
The motion is due to go before lawmakers next week, but is unlikely to topple Bayrou's government, as the far right National Rally, the biggest party in the lower house, has indicated it would not support it. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
30 minutes ago
- Straits Times
EU plans to add carbon credits to new climate goal, document shows
Wind turbines spin in front of the Atlantic Ocean near Zahara de los Atunes, Spain May 27, 2025. REUTERS/Nacho Doce BRUSSELS - The European Commission is set to propose counting carbon credits bought from other countries towards the European Union's 2040 climate target, a Commission document seen by Reuters showed. The Commission is due to propose a legally binding EU climate target for 2040 on July 2. The EU executive had initially planned a 90% net emissions cut, against 1990 levels, but in recent months has sought to make this goal more flexible, in response to pushback from governments including Italy, Poland and the Czech Republic, concerned about the cost. An internal Commission summary of the upcoming proposal, seen by Reuters, said the EU would be able to use "high-quality international credits" from a U.N.-backed carbon credits market to meet 3% of the emissions cuts towards the 2040 goal. The document said the credits would be phased in from 2036, and that additional EU legislation would later set out the origin and quality criteria that the credits must meet, and details of how they would be purchased. The move would in effect ease the emissions cuts - and the investments required - from European industries needed to hit the 90% emissions-cutting target. For the share of the target met by credits, the EU would buy "credits" from projects that reduce CO2 emissions abroad - for example, forest restoration in Brazil - rather than reducing emissions in Europe. Proponents say these credits are a crucial way to raise funds for CO2-cutting projects in developing nations. But recent scandals have shown some credit-generating projects did not deliver the climate benefits they claimed. The document said the Commission will add other flexibilities to the 90% target, as Brussels attempts to contain resistance from governments struggling to fund the green transition alongside priorities including defence, and industries who say ambitious environmental regulations hurt their competitiveness. These include integrating credits from projects that remove CO2 from the atmosphere into the EU's carbon market so that European industries can buy these credits to offset some of their own emissions, the document said. The draft would also give countries more flexibility on which sectors in their economy do the heavy lifting to meet the 2040 goal, "to support the achievement of targets in a cost-effective way". A Commission spokesperson declined to comment on the upcoming proposal, which could still change before it is published next week. EU countries and the European Parliament must negotiate the final target and could amend what the Commission proposes. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Poland's departing president asks Ukraine to be patient as successor settles in
FILE PHOTO: Polish President Andrzej Duda speaks during a press conference during a NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands June 25, 2025. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Poland's departing president asks Ukraine to be patient as successor settles in WARSAW/KYIV - Poland's departing President Andrzej Duda visited Ukraine on Saturday and urged Kyiv to be patient during the handover to his nationalist successor, Karol Nawrocki. Polish president-elect Nawrocki has said he is committed to keep helping Ukraine's defences against Russia's invasion, but has signalled a possible shift in Warsaw's position by opposing Kyiv joining Western alliances such as NATO. "Please be patient," Duda told reporters at a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. "The world looks different from behind the presidential desk, slightly different from what it looks like to a candidate in elections." Zelenskiy said he would "of course" invite Nawrocki to Ukraine after he assumes office. Duda's visit was a final gesture of solidarity from one of Ukraine's most vocal wartime supporters as he prepares to hand over the presidency in August. He was welcomed warmly and awarded an Order of Liberty by Zelenskiy, who is trying to rally support among Kyiv's allies at a crucial juncture in the grinding war with Russia. Ukraine is struggling to fend off Russian advances on the battlefield and intensifying missile and drone attacks on its cities as diplomatic efforts to end the fighting, now in its fourth year, have faltered. Neighbouring Poland, where more than 1 million Ukrainians have sought refuge since Russia's February 2022 invasion, has provided key humanitarian, political and military support to Kyiv. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
South Africa's DA party withdraws from national dialogue amid coalition dispute
FILE PHOTO: John Steenhuisen, leader of the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) and Minister of Agriculture of South Africa, arrives at the Cape Town City Hall ahead of the State Of The Nation (SONA) address by South African president Cyril Ramaphosa in Cape Town, South Africa February 6, 2025. REUTERS/Nic Bothma/File Photo JOHANNESBURG - South Africa's Democratic Alliance party has withdrawn from a national dialogue but stopped short of leaving the coalition government after President Cyril Ramaphosa fired one of its deputy ministers, DA leader John Steenhuisen said on Saturday. The national dialogue is a process launched by Ramaphosa to unite the country after last year's election, which saw his African National Congress lose its parliamentary majority for the first time in three decades, forcing it to team up with the DA to form a government. The two parties are far apart ideologically and have clashed repeatedly over the last year, as the DA has accused the ANC of acting against its interests and without proper consultation. Steenhuisen said the DA federal executive had also considered tabling a motion of no confidence against Ramaphosa, but decided against it. However, he said the party was "in the process of losing confidence in his ability to act as a leader not of the ANC, but of the GNU (Government of National Unity)." Ramaphosa sacked deputy trade minister Andrew Whitfield this week over an unauthorised trip to the United States, and said the DA should nominate a replacement. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
