In 2019, a first version of pension reform was proposed by the government. Indeed, a points system to calculate the retirement age was envisaged. At the same time, the president’s entourage was already announcing the end of special diets, including that of the president. On December 11, 2019, Edouard Philippe, then Prime Minister, brought together ministers and social partners during the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (Cese) at the Palais d’Iéna.
“Our fellow citizens remain convinced that their elected officials enjoy privileges. In the universal system, elected officials and ministers will be treated exactly like all French people, that’s normal and that’s very good that way,” he said then, from after the remarks collected by Le Parisien.
Following this statement, Le Parisien announced the decision taken by Emmanuel Macron. The latter, then on the move, revealed that he was renouncing his retirement as a former president in advance. This pension is governed by the law of 1955. Article 19 of this law specified that “the former Presidents of the French Republic are granted an annual allocation of an amount equal to that of the gross index salary of an adviser to ‘State in ordinary service’. This amount is equivalent to approximately 6,000 euros gross monthly in 2021.
Thus, his predecessors still benefit from this law today. Conversely, an adviser to the president in 2019 reacted to the privileges linked to this law reaffirming Emmanuel Macron’s decision. “He will not receive this retirement provided for at the end of his mandate by law, because he considers that this law of circumstance is intended to be normalized. He will therefore not apply it. He will not liquidate this sum either when “he will retire. We are in an era where elected officials must be exemplary”. So would the current president still be the first exemplary head of state?
This is not the only time Emmanuel Macron and his entourage have affirmed the abandonment of the special regime for former presidents. Indeed, Challenges reported that Socialist MP Christine Pirès-Beaune had sent a letter to the president. She mentioned the end of the special regimes granted to former presidents as soon as their term ended. The Elysée responded while a decree was being drafted.
However, no other statement on the development of this decree and its release date had been communicated. There has even been complete silence on the government side since this announcement. Since then, the new pension reform proposed by Emmanuel Macron has clearly presented the end of special schemes. Some, however, remained intact: that of senators and that of former presidents.
Nevertheless, the publication shared on Twitter by a majority MP has revived the debate. Is the implementation of this promise of the president about to be announced?
On March 23, Stéphane Vojetta, MP for the majority for French people living abroad, published a publication reviewing this system of special regimes. Thus, he relayed the amount of the retirement of François Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy. Alongside these figures, we find Emmanuel Macron who would not touch a penny.
The deputy claimed to transmit information published by the magazine Capital. However, in the Capital article addressing the amount of the pension of former presidents, our colleague Jean-Victor Semeraro provided details. “The future young retiree Emmanuel Macron, he indicated that he would give up his endowment. But we are still waiting for him to put an end, as he had promised, to this special regime, to affiliate the former heads of the ‘State under the general regime’.
For the time being, Emmanuel Macron will therefore not receive 0 euros for his retirement. Will he follow through on his promise? Case to follow.