Pension reform: who is the “sacrificed generation”?

The pension reform was originally to be presented this Thursday, December 15. But, during the opening of the National Council for Refoundation, Emmanuel Macron decreed that this presentation would finally be postponed to January 10, 2023.

According to him, this would be due to the modification of the political spectrum. Indeed, Sunday, December 11 was a particularly important day in French politics since several changes took place within the parties. On the side of Europe Ecologie Les Verts, exit Julien Bayou, it is Marine Tondelier who inherits the post of national secretary of the party.

Change has also taken place for Les Républicains (LR) since Eric Ciotti has been appointed as the new president of the party. However, the LR seats in the National Assembly, if they are few, remain decisive because they could allow Renaissance (ex LREM) to pass the pension reform. Conversely, in the event of a motion of censure being tabled by right-wing deputies, it is the government that risks being dissolved.

The Head of State has therefore taken the decision to postpone the pension reform in order to start new discussions with the opposition parties and potentially find compromises.

If all the details of this reform have not yet been revealed, many details have nevertheless been delivered to the French. According to a survey carried out by Odoxa for Abeille assurances, one generation in particular would be hostile to this reform.

73% of people aged 40 to 54 think they will spend less time in retirement than previous generations. They are even 75% to think that the vote of the reform would put them “with the foot of the wall or in front of the fait accompli” by being “warned too late at only 10/15 years of their retirement”.

For Jean-François Chauffeté, founder of Expertise Optimization Retraite, believes that this generation would indeed be disadvantaged by the pension reform. However, in his view, the situation facing the current pension system has its roots in the past.

“Are there not some who have been overfavored in the past, which would make us arrive today at the reality of the figures? We realize today that we can no longer twist the neck of the numbers,” said the expert.

According to him, the root of all the problems of the current retirement system is… Retirement at age 60.

“Before, the retirement age was set at 65 and life expectancy was 72, so there was no problem financing pensions.” Judge Jean-François Chauffeté.

“Afterwards, we put retirement at 60. We withdrew the active people who earned the best living, therefore the people who financed the system the best, and in addition we paid them five years earlier. “, Analyzes- he. Thus, for him, the financing system was bound to become problematic. The expert therefore believes that today’s generations must now rebalance the French system.