When I’m 64 ... Why Macron’s pension plans have stoked so much anger

Since Emmanuel Macron forced through his plans to raise the pension age in France this month, public dismay over the change to a fiercely protected feature of French social policy has been bubbling. Last week that anger reached boiling point.

The most visible symbol of the tensions came in Bordeaux, where the doors of the city hall were set alight after a day of intensifying action on the streets. The blaze was quickly put out by firefighters. But all across the country, the unpopularity of Macron’s plans was plainly visible. The authorities put the number of people on the streets at 1.1 million, while unions said it was about 3.5 million.

In a major embarrassment to the French president, a planned state visit by Britain’s King Charles was postponed as a result of the unrest.

Why did tensions rise again?

Last Wednesday, Macron made a live TV appearance to defend his plan to raise the official retirement age in France from 62 to 64 – and if any of his opponents were hoping for a message of compromise, they were sorely disappointed. Macron ruled out any change to the deeply unpopular policy, and also rejected calls for a reshuffle of his government or the resignation of his prime minister, Élisabeth Borne.

That was one of the triggers for the scale and intensity of last Thursday’s action – but the protesters’ anger is not limited to Macron’s management of the situation, or even the pension proposals. They say that the president’s move to force the reforms through without a vote has raised wider concerns about the state of French democracy.

Why is Macron so determined to raise the pensions age?

Macron abandoned a broader effort to change France’s hugely complex pensions infrastructure during his first term after huge street protests and as the coronavirus pandemic hit. This time around, he has taken a simpler approach: instead of merging the country’s 42 separate pension schemes, he argues that asking people to work for two more years can make the system sustainable in the long term.

Macron, who cannot run for office again, insists that the changes – which were part of his second-term manifesto – are crucial.

Why are people so angry about it?

Supporters point out that French men retire two years earlier than the EU average, and French women a year earlier. They reject tax increases, saying France already has an unusually high tax burden, and that demographic changes make change inevitable: while there were 2.1 workers for each retiree in 2000, the ratio was 1.7 in 2020 and is expected to reach 1.2 by 2070.

The French public is fiercely protective of a system seen as the cornerstone of the country’s model of social protection. They are proud that French pensioners are less likely to live in poverty than those in most other European countries.

While a deficit in the system is expected over the next 25 years, independent analysis by the pensions advisory council says the figures “do not support the claim that pensions spending is out of control”. Critics argue that Macron’s approach is too combative and stark, and claim that he is instead prioritising tax cuts for businesses even as he tries to get the national deficit below an EU target of 3%.

What happens next?

Poll after poll suggests the protesters are not out of step with French public opinion, with big majorities against Macron. Two-thirds of people support the protesters, while Macron’s approval rating is 28%. The president’s decision to force his plan through parliament without a vote is opposed by 82% of voters, and 65% want protests to continue even if the proposals become law.

Nonetheless, amid calls for a public referendum and moves by opposition lawmakers to rescind the new law before it is implemented, Macron has shown no sign of backing down, though some believe he may remove Borne once the immediate crisis has abated. But most observers believe that tactic will not succeed, and that he is likely to be hamstrung for the rest of his presidency.

One likely beneficiary is the farright leader Marine Le Pen, who has said she would overturn the changes as part of her “de-demonisation” strategy and is viewed as the public figure who best embodies opposition to the proposals.