Club of “World Economy”: on pensions, “it will be complicated to pass pill”

Pascale Coton, vice-president of the CFTC, Geoffroy Roux de Bézieux, president of Medef, as well as the economist Patrick Artus and the political scientist Jérôme Fourquet confronted their views, while the battle against the reform wanted by Emmanuel Macron is already engaged.

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The subject of pensions, voluntarily highlighted by Emmanuel Macron before his re -election, is an obvious economy track, but eminently socially sensitive … except for retirees.

Geoffroy Roux de Bézieux: The President of the Republic was right to announce the color during the presidential campaign: we will have to work longer, up to 64 years or 65 years. I have always thought that the previous reform had failed because it had not been detailed during the 2007 campaign. There, things are said: the President of the Republic has, in my opinion, legitimacy to bring this Site.

Jérôme Fourquet: I would be less affirmative than Geoffroy Roux de Bézieux. For twenty years, the French have been very reluctant to lengthen the duration of working life. The only category of the population massively acquired at the postponement of the retirement age, it is the retirees, which traditionally vote on the right. The tilting of part of the right electorate towards Emmanuel Macron is probably linked to his announcement on pensions. But it will be very complicated to pass the pill with the rest of the voters, even if the subject of the financing of dependence generates real anxiety.

Pascale Coton: The way the subject is posed is very irritating. Whenever a budgetary problem arises, we are told that we will have to work longer. Employees no longer want to hear this. What they ask is to be able to work in good conditions. They also want existing inequalities to be corrected. For example, is it normal for women to low wages must work up to 67 years to benefit from a full retirement? A pension reform worthy of the name must take into account all these aspects.

G.R.B: A country that spends a lot needs a lot of work to finance its model. The ideal would be to increase our employment rate to get closer to that of Germany, but it will take time. In the meantime, the most effective is to extend the duration of working life.

Patrick Artus: No saving is possible in France, except on pensions. When we compare the gap of public spending with Germany, we find this: 1.5 point of gross domestic product (GDP) for state aid to companies, 1 point of GDP to finance the family policy, 1 point of GDP for military spending, 0.5 GDP point for culture. All these positions are untouchable. There are four points of GDP on pensions, which constitute the only room for maneuver.

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/Media reports.