Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

French Senate adopts pension bill despite street protests

French Senate adopts pension bill despite street protests

A contentious bill that would raise the retirement age in France from 62 to 64 got a push forward with the Senate’s adoption of the measure amid strikes, protests and uncollected garbage piling higher by the day.
French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne tweeted late on Saturday after the 195-112 vote that she looks forward to the bill’s definitive passage, hailing a “decisive step toward a reform that will assure the future of our retirement” system.

But the legislation must now move through tricky political territory with multiple potential outcomes.

It heads first to a committee of seven senators and seven lower-house lawmakers to find a compromise between the two houses’ versions of the text on Wednesday — when unions planned an eighth round of nationwide protest marches.

President Emmanuel Macron is undaunted by the uncollected trash piling up in Paris and other cities from a strike by garbage workers opposed to the bill and reduced services and supplies in other sectors like transport and energy.

Macron has refused a request by unions to meet with him, which leftist CGT union leader Philippe Martinez said amounted to “giving the finger.”

There has been no government response to a union request for a “citizens’ consultation” on the legislation, made on Saturday after a new day of marches which drew a far smaller number of people into the streets than protest marches four days earlier.

Senate President Gerard Larcher voiced pride in the job of his colleagues after their vote — a day before the deadline — saying the body controlled by the conservative right played its role “with only one objective whatever our feelings are, the interest of the country and the interest of the French people.”

Unions maintain that French people are voting their opposition to the reform in the streets and through strikes, continuing though reduced in some sectors.

The government hopes to avoid using a special constitutional power to force the bill through parliament without a vote. Parliamentary approval would give a large measure of legitimacy to the pension plan.

But there are multiple scenarios before the reform could become law, making its path uncertain.

If the mixed committee reaches an accord on Wednesday, the pension reform plan would get a final vote the following day in the Senate and National Assembly, the lower house.

Without agreement, the bill would likely return to the National Assembly for more debate and a final vote, then likely back to the Senate. Borne, the prime minister, was optimistic the measure would be “definitively adopted in the coming days.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
×