French PM opposes calls to go back to 62 as retirement age
PARIS, March 16 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Francois Bayrou on Sunday rejected the idea of reverting to 62 as the basic retirement age in France, appearing to narrow options for unions and employers negotiating changes to an unpopular pension reform.
Bayrou, who heads a fragile minority government, agreed to reopen discussion of the 2023 reform, including the contested measure to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 years, to help secure tacit support in parliament from opposition Socialists.
He tasked union and company representatives to discuss changes, saying all options were on the table provided proposals would ensure a funding deficit would be plugged.
Asked in an interview on France Inter radio if it was possible to go back to retirement at 62, he said, "No."
"The representatives in the social conference know very well what the numerical situation is and which I asked the Court of Accounts to set out," Bayrou said, referring to a report by France's audit office projecting future deficits even after the 2023 reform.
At the same time, he did not see retirement age as the only path for reforming the pension system, he said.
If unions and employers fail to agree to proposals, the government plans to proceed with implementing the 2023 reform.
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