Pensions conclave: What changes for retirement in France?
On Thursday, after four months of discussions between the government, employers and moderate unions broke up, France's Prime Minister François Bayrou extended – again – the deadline to mid-July to allow agreement on sticking points.
There has been no big breakthrough on the issue that has convulsed French politics since 2019, but a few small but important details have been agreed.
'Contrary to what has been said and written, the work of this conclave has been remarkably useful,' Bayrou told journalists.
Advertisement
'Having taken stock of the steps forward and having spoken with each of the organisations, I am impressed by the progress that has been made in four months.'
Government spokesperson Sophie Primas told BFM TV: 'No agreement is signed, but we are moving forward … The Prime Minister is right not to give up, to continue to believe in social dialogue.'
So, what was agreed?
Retirement age
As a reminder, this Conclave is about pensions, specifically Emmanuel Macron's highly controversial pension reform that - among other things - raised the French pension age from 62 to 64.
On the age issue, nothing changes.
Perhaps the key point was that those around the table – some unions, for example, refused to participate – 'accepted the principle of returning to balance in 2030' and 'not to question the age conditions set by the 2023 law', Bayrou said.
That means the retirement age will go up, as planned, to 64. The change is already being phased in for people who retire over the next few years.
So what was agreed?
There were, however, important breakthroughs on other issues including pensions for mothers, for those who have taken career breaks and for foreigners working in France.
Conclave has agreed to 'improve the situation of people, especially those who have had interrupted careers, more often women'.
Progress was made to 'significantly and immediately improve' the pension rights of women who have had children.
'Instead of using the 25 best years to calculate retirement pensions, women who have had one child will gain one year, with the reference figure reduced to 24 years,' Bayrou said.
Advertisement
'Those who have had two or more children, they will gain two years, with the reference reduced to 23 years. In addition, an agreement was reached on 'early retirement for long careers, thereby gaining two quarters of maternity leave'.
There was also a deal reached on people who have taken career breaks or who have not worked a full career in France.
Bayrou announced a compromise had been reached to reduce the retirement age at full pay from 67 to 66-and-a-half.
This potentially affects foreigners who have 'blended careers' - ie they have worked some years in France and some years in another country, and plan to retire in France.
Because French pensions are based on contributions, those who have not worked a full career in France will get a lower pension (although they likely likely also be entitled to a pension from other countries they have worked in) - however the 'full pension age' means that people with an incomplete French career can either retire at 64 on a lower rate, or can continue working until they are 67 (now 66 1/2) and benefit from a higher amount.
Advertisement
If you check out your French pension via the info-retrait site, you will see your estimated monthly pension amount based on whether you retire at 64, or at 67. For those who only worked for part of their career in France, the figure for retiring at 67 is significantly higher.
READ ALSO
:
EXPLAINED: The website to help you calculate your French pension✎
'Arduous' jobs
Unions want employees in arduous or dangerous jobs for a long time to be able to retire early, regardless of their health, but employers want to make early retirement conditional on the establishment of incapacity by a doctor.
Bayrou insisted compromise was 'within reach', and said negotiations would continue in the coming days.
What next?
Talks will continue but in the immediate future are two no-confidence votes on the prime minister over this issue, deposed by Parti Socialiste. It's not thought that these will succeed.
READ ALSO
OPINION: Another week, another attempt to bring down the French government
The head of government also announced 'a legislative approach' in the autumn to 'answer all the questions raised' and, in the absence of agreement on the most delicate points, said he was ready to include 'compromise provisions' in the next Social Security budget.
France's largest union, the CFDT, however, has refused to enter the ongoing talks. 'We do not want any new negotiation sessions,' Secretary General Marylise Léon told AFP.
Advertisement
She said that the two final sticking points identified by François Bayrou in reaching an agreement with employers, on arduous work and the overall financing of the system, were 'two extremely important and structuring elements of the discussions.'
Bayrou – in Briançon – fired back, saying that if unions and employers step down from negotiations, 'we will decide'.
He said the next Social Security budget would include 'a text, whether there has been a prior agreement or whether there has only been preparatory work for an agreement'.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
AFP
5 hours ago
- AFP
Video purported to show strike at Iran's Evin prison: what we know
lities escalated on June 13, when Israel launched an aerial attack on sites in Iran after again accusing Tehran of pursuing a military nuclear program. Iran responded with a series of missile and on Israel. nearly two weeks of deadly attacks, including US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, the countries accepted a ceasefire agreement on June 24. Iranian authorities said certain parts of Evin prison, which rights groups say holds Western detainees, political prisoners and opposition members, were A post on X claims to show a six second, black and white video appearing to be CCTV footage of an explosion at the entrance of the The video is filmed at a fixed angle, with text reading, "CAMERA 07" in the top left AFP also found the video circulating on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Threads with additional posts in French, Spanish and Arabic garnering thousands of views and hundreds of interactions. The video was used by multiple media outlets worldwide, including the BBC, Le Monde, NBC News, The Guardian, France24, The Times and the New York Post. But as doubts emerged around the footage it was removed from several media websites, accompanied by messages explaining uncertainties about its authenticity. "AFP's Middle East video editors saw the images on Monday but given their dubious nature decided against using them," said Louis Massie, central editor-in-chief for video. Tal Hagin, information warfare researcher for FakeReporter, an Israeli watchdog group, published a series of posts on X explaining his suspicions on June 23 (archived here). Image A screenshot of one of Tal Hagin's posts on X arguing the image was AI-generated taken June 27, 2025 "At first, I believed it to be real," he told AFP June 25, but "once I began to receive several inquiries about its validity, I looked closer." He determined the video was likely AI-generated, using a real image of the prison as a visual "That, combined with several minute errors in the footage -- door was blown off while simultaneously not blown off -- and comparing it to real aftermath footage of the strike on the prison, I concluded with a high degree it was fake." Multiple inconsistencies An AFP analysis of the video also suggested the content was AI-generated. First, most professional video surveillance cameras automatically display the date and time on footage. This is not the case in the widely shared video. Even though an incorrect or different configuration of the date and time is theoretically possible, the absence of this information is dubious at an institution as secure as Evin prison. Image Screenshots taken June 25, 2025 of two videos circulating on social media which originate from a video surveillance camera In place of the date and time, the circulating video displays in the top left corner text reading "CAMERA 07," but the country's dominant language is Farsi, not English. The text is also suspicious as it lacks a relief or any shadow. The text briefly disappears at the moment of the explosion, as if it were added during an editing process. Image Screenshots of the viral video taken June 25, 2025 The image is in black and white, while the explosion allegedly occurred during the day. Video surveillance cameras only switch to monochrome mode in low or infrared light. This monochrome processing could also be used to mask certain graphical inconsistencies. Two screenshots, taken one second apart, identify the facade of the building as the Evin prison. In the first image, we observe: A closed metal door A sign in Farsi Trees without leaves or bushes in the foreground The text "CAMERA 07" in the top left corner In the second image, an explosion seems to happen. A cloud of smoke forms in front of the door, and a flash of light appears. But many elements are suspect: No reaction from the scenery : The trees and bushes in the foreground stay perfectly still, without the slightest tremor or perceptible movement. No visible fallout : No debris, nor shockwave, is identified in the image or on the ground Suspect light : The bright halo does not seem realistic -- it seems "glued" to the facade, without any bounce or reflection on the surrounding elements. A white film appears stealthily in the shot, without a visible link to the scene -- an artifact typical of animation or poorly finalized synthesis. Image Two screenshots of the video taken at one second intervals, captured June 25, 2025 Moreover, no visible projection of debris or shockwave is identifiable between the two screenshots. e Evin prison was touched by an explosion, as seen in a video by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (archived here). But in all other images besides the purported CCTV footage, the entire building structure surrounding the door is on the ground, not only the door as in the viral Using an archival image? Another key element reinforced suspicions about the clip -- reverse image searches reveal its resemblance to an archive photo of the prison. A comparison with a photo taken in 2023 (left photo below) shows a near-perfect match to the point of view, plants, sign, trees and enclosure wall . The strong similarity suggests this image was used as a base in the process of generation or manipulation by artificial intelligence. The fact the plant elements are identical between the old photo and the purported current video further weakens the argument that the video shows an authentic scene. Image Comparison between a photo of the Evin prison from 2023 (left) and a screenshot of the viral video taken June 25, 2025 Moreover, the trees are sparce, which suggests the scene was filmed in winter. The images circulated by Iranian media officials regarding the 2025 strike on the Evin prison show lush greenery outside the walls. Image Screenshots taken by Tal Hagin on X Architectural differences were also identified when comparing the video to recent photos. The American disinformation watchdog NewsGuard has identified more than 50 sites and Telegram channels distributing deceptive content online discussing the conflict, including some related to influence operations by Iran, Russia and China. Since the start of the Iran-Israel war, AFP has found an increase in content manipulated or generated by AI. You can find these articles and other fact checks related to the conflict here.
Local France
5 hours ago
- Local France
Pensions conclave: What changes for retirement in France?
On Thursday, after four months of discussions between the government, employers and moderate unions broke up, France's Prime Minister François Bayrou extended – again – the deadline to mid-July to allow agreement on sticking points. There has been no big breakthrough on the issue that has convulsed French politics since 2019, but a few small but important details have been agreed. 'Contrary to what has been said and written, the work of this conclave has been remarkably useful,' Bayrou told journalists. Advertisement 'Having taken stock of the steps forward and having spoken with each of the organisations, I am impressed by the progress that has been made in four months.' Government spokesperson Sophie Primas told BFM TV: 'No agreement is signed, but we are moving forward … The Prime Minister is right not to give up, to continue to believe in social dialogue.' So, what was agreed? Retirement age As a reminder, this Conclave is about pensions, specifically Emmanuel Macron's highly controversial pension reform that - among other things - raised the French pension age from 62 to 64. On the age issue, nothing changes. Perhaps the key point was that those around the table – some unions, for example, refused to participate – 'accepted the principle of returning to balance in 2030' and 'not to question the age conditions set by the 2023 law', Bayrou said. That means the retirement age will go up, as planned, to 64. The change is already being phased in for people who retire over the next few years. So what was agreed? There were, however, important breakthroughs on other issues including pensions for mothers, for those who have taken career breaks and for foreigners working in France. Conclave has agreed to 'improve the situation of people, especially those who have had interrupted careers, more often women'. Progress was made to 'significantly and immediately improve' the pension rights of women who have had children. 'Instead of using the 25 best years to calculate retirement pensions, women who have had one child will gain one year, with the reference figure reduced to 24 years,' Bayrou said. Advertisement 'Those who have had two or more children, they will gain two years, with the reference reduced to 23 years. In addition, an agreement was reached on 'early retirement for long careers, thereby gaining two quarters of maternity leave'. There was also a deal reached on people who have taken career breaks or who have not worked a full career in France. Bayrou announced a compromise had been reached to reduce the retirement age at full pay from 67 to 66-and-a-half. This potentially affects foreigners who have 'blended careers' - ie they have worked some years in France and some years in another country, and plan to retire in France. Because French pensions are based on contributions, those who have not worked a full career in France will get a lower pension (although they likely likely also be entitled to a pension from other countries they have worked in) - however the 'full pension age' means that people with an incomplete French career can either retire at 64 on a lower rate, or can continue working until they are 67 (now 66 1/2) and benefit from a higher amount. Advertisement If you check out your French pension via the info-retrait site, you will see your estimated monthly pension amount based on whether you retire at 64, or at 67. For those who only worked for part of their career in France, the figure for retiring at 67 is significantly higher. READ ALSO : EXPLAINED: The website to help you calculate your French pension✎ 'Arduous' jobs Unions want employees in arduous or dangerous jobs for a long time to be able to retire early, regardless of their health, but employers want to make early retirement conditional on the establishment of incapacity by a doctor. Bayrou insisted compromise was 'within reach', and said negotiations would continue in the coming days. What next? Talks will continue but in the immediate future are two no-confidence votes on the prime minister over this issue, deposed by Parti Socialiste. It's not thought that these will succeed. READ ALSO OPINION: Another week, another attempt to bring down the French government The head of government also announced 'a legislative approach' in the autumn to 'answer all the questions raised' and, in the absence of agreement on the most delicate points, said he was ready to include 'compromise provisions' in the next Social Security budget. France's largest union, the CFDT, however, has refused to enter the ongoing talks. 'We do not want any new negotiation sessions,' Secretary General Marylise Léon told AFP. Advertisement She said that the two final sticking points identified by François Bayrou in reaching an agreement with employers, on arduous work and the overall financing of the system, were 'two extremely important and structuring elements of the discussions.' Bayrou – in Briançon – fired back, saying that if unions and employers step down from negotiations, 'we will decide'. He said the next Social Security budget would include 'a text, whether there has been a prior agreement or whether there has only been preparatory work for an agreement'.
LeMonde
7 hours ago
- LeMonde
French senator accused of spiking fellow MP's drink sent for trial
A French senator accused of having drugged a fellow member of Parliament with the intention of sexually assaulting her has been sent for trial, Agence France-Presse (AFP) learnt on Friday, June 27, from a source close to the case Two investigating magistrates sent Senator Joël Guerriau for trial for the alleged November 2023 incident, said the source, confirming a report by France 2's Complement d'enquete, an investigative television program. The judges' report, seen by AFP, says Guerriau, 67, is suspected of having spiked a glass of champagne with ecstasy that his colleague Sandrine Josso, now 49, was drinking. His intention, they alleged, was to rape or sexually assault her. Guerriau will also be tried for possession of drugs. "Joël Guerriau contests the allegations against him," said his lawyers, Henri Carpentier and Marie Roumiantseva. The truth will come in court, "far from the caricatures and rumors put about until now," they added. "Mr Guerriau does not fear the truth: He desires it." Josso's lawyer, Arnaud Godefroy, said she was relieved at the decision, "which reflects the seriousness of her complaint." On November 14, 2023, Josso, who's with the centrist MoDem party, went to the Paris home of her "political friend" – as she described him during the investigation before the judges – who was celebrating his re-election. The only guest, she left with 388 ng/ml of ecstasy in her blood, according to toxicology tests seen by AFP. This was a dose "close to double" the recreational amount, the prosecutor's office said. The tests also showed no traces of drugs in her system during the seven months prior to that evening. The judges write that although "no intimate or sexual acts were reported" during the evening, Guerriau's actions, as described by the complainant, were "consistent with those of a person with sexual intent." The Horizons party, led by former prime minister Edouard Philippe, suspended Guerriau in November 2023. Guerriau has denied any intention to sexually assault the lawmaker and has rejected the accusation that he deliberately drugged her, describing it as a "handling error."
