June 2025
27Jun

France. Defiant Bayrou won’t concede defeat on pension reform talks

 French Prime Minister François Bayrou is refusing to admit defeat after his signature effort to tweak the country's unpopular 2023 retirement reform appeared to collapse this week without a deal. At a press conference on Thursday, Bayrou asserted that the trade unions and industry representatives who participated in his "conclave" on the reform had managed to agree to several compromises that his government plans to legislate in the fall. Those include a commitment to make the pension system financially sustainable...

June 27, 2025
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24Jun

French prime minister to meet pension negotiators after talks fail

Months-long talks between French trade unions and employers over reforms to the pension system collapsed late on Monday, prompting Prime Minister Francois Bayrou to summon both sides to find a way forward. The so-called pension conclave's failure puts Bayrou in a vulnerable position, as his government can fall anytime if left-wing and far-right parties band together to back a motion of no-confidence. The hard-left France Unbowed has said it will call a confidence vote, and the Socialists are split. However, Marine...

June 24, 2025
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April 2025
23Apr

Is France really planning a ‘tax raid’ on pensioners?

Proposed changes to the tax system for pensioners in the 2026 Budget are already raising anger - here's what is planned and how it affects foreign retirees. France has only just managed to pass its 2025 Budget, but already attention is turning to the 2026 spending plans, with prime minister François Bayrou giving a press conference outlining the financial problems that the country faces, and what must be done to tackle them. France faces a soaring budget deficit and the parliamentary crisis...

April 23, 2025
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February 2025
21Feb

France. Pensions: a deficit of 30 billion euros in 2045 without new reform

The Court of Auditors unveiled this Thursday an alarming report on the future of the pension system in France, commissioned by François Bayrou to serve as a basis for negotiations between social partners. According to its projections, the deficit would reach 15 billion euros in 2035 and 30 billion in 2045 if no additional reforms are implemented. In 2023, a surplus of 8,5 billion euros was recorded, but this is explained by cyclical effects linked to inflation and the...

February 21, 2025
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19Feb

France’s latest pensions battle could ignite fresh political crisis

President Emmanuel Macron braved strikes and street protests to force through a deeply unpopular reform in 2023 raising France's retirement age by two years to 64, saying it was the only way to keep the generous but costly pension system afloat. Now an assessment this week by the country's independent public audit office on the size of the pension deficit could rekindle debate about the divisive reform and plunge Macron's fragile, debt-laden government back into crisis. Francois Bayrou, Macron's latest prime minister, requested...

February 19, 2025
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January 2025
15Jan

French PM to review Pension Reform

French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said Tuesday his government will focus on stability, dialogue and profound reforms, especially on pensions. In his general policy speech, Bayrou emphasized the urgency of reducing France's historic public debt and achieving financial stability. "France has never been as indebted as it is today," he noted. To reduce the deficit to 5.4 percent of GDP by 2025 and further to around 3 percent by 2029, Bayrou urged all ministries to implement profound reforms. He announced plans...

January 15, 2025
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October 2024
21Oct

In France, senior citizens are (almost) king

It was highly symbolic. In the space of a few days, France went from having the youngest prime minister of the Fifth Republic, 35-year-old Gabriel Attal, to the oldest, Michel Barnier, 73. Beyond the political context, this change carries a particular significance at a time when the country is quietly going through a profound transformation: It is aging – and quickly. To prove the point, centenarians, rare 30 years ago, are now almost commonplace: There are around 30,000 of...

October 21, 2024
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09Oct

French lawmakers weigh political risk of curbing boomers’ costly pensions

 France's government has put the country's explosive pensions issue back on the agenda as it seeks to reduce a gaping budget hole. But this time, it wants pensioners to contribute to belt-tightening efforts themselves. It also wants lawmakers used to pandering to older voters to back it. Economists and analysts say that if France really wants to tackle its bloated public spending, the baby-boom generation - those born between 1946 and 1964 - must take a hit to their pensions,...

October 9, 2024
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September 2024
30Sep

Two million French seniors live in poverty: charity report

Two million seniors in France live below the poverty line, warns a charity that works to alleviate isolation amongst the elderly. It pointed to a rise in poverty, particularly among older women and people living alone. The poverty level of people aged 60 and older is on the rise, the Petits freres des pauvres (Little brothers of the poor) charity in its annual report published Monday. In 2024, some 11 percent of elderly people live under the poverty line, compared to eight...

September 30, 2024
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August 2024
26Aug

The Average Retirement Age in 2024: US vs. France

Do Americans really work themselves to death, as the media so often portrays? Likewise, do Europeans really avoid work like the plague? Of course not — but that doesn’t mean the retirement looks identical in countries like the US and France. While the average retirement age differs, so too do the benefit systems in each country. Consider the following facts as you compare retirement in the US to France, before booking a one-way ticket to the Continent. Also check out these reasons for using a financial advisor...

August 26, 2024
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