While he made this commitment in December 2019, Emmanuel Macron has still not changed the pension system for former Presidents of the Republic. At that time, the current head of state surprised the public by explaining that he intended to give up his retirement as a former president in advance. As noted by Le Parisien, it was expected that the President of the Republic would not receive “this retirement provided for at the end of his mandate by law” since the latter considered “that this law of circumstance [had] vocation to be standardized”. Since then, nothing has happened. What reasons are involved?
During this announcement, in 2019, Emmanuel Macron was greatly surprised by wishing to end this presidential privilege. However, the years have passed and the pension system for former presidents remains in place, despite a period marked by pension reform. For the time being, article 19 of the law of 1955, which provides that former heads of state receive for life, from the end of their functions at the Elysée, a grant of 6,220 euros gross per month, is still in effect. In February 2020, the related UDI deputy from Marne, Charles de Courson, had nevertheless tabled an amendment to the first pension reform in order to repeal this article, but the government asked him to withdraw it.
While the government had assured that it would proceed by decree between now and the promulgation of the law, the Covid crisis arrived, reducing to nothing the universal point-based retirement system then proposed by the executive. While in September 2020, a PS deputy, Christine Pirès-Beaune questioned Emmanuel Macron on the progress of this procedure, the Elysée simply replied that the project was still “under development”. Three years later, the pension reform has just been adopted in force by the government and no provision appears in the voted text.
