Paris — France has suspended the controversial increase in the legal retirement age from 62 to 64 until after the 2027 presidential election. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced the pause to ease political tensions and seek cross-party support in a hung parliament. The decision answers months of protests and tough bargaining with the Socialists, but it carries fiscal costs and leaves open the question of how to stabilise the pension system as the population ages.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has shelved the 2023 pension reform’s core measure—raising the retirement age to 64—until after the next presidential vote in 2027. He told lawmakers that the pause is meant to calm social tensions and build a parliamentary majority for broader budget measures, rather than forcing the issue via constitutional shortcuts. The announcement, first reported in live coverage by The Guardian’s live blog and confirmed by Reuters, immediately eased the threat of a no-confidence revolt—provided the Socialists withhold support from rival motions on the budget.
The move marks a tactical retreat from President Emmanuel Macron’s marquee reform. As Le Monde notes, Lecornu’s political survival depends on negotiations with the centre-left, which had demanded a suspension. The government insists the delay is not a repeal; instead, it is a window to pursue “responsible” compromise and budget discipline without inflaming the street.
Why now?
France has been mired in parliamentary deadlock since snap elections left no party with a majority. Months of strikes and demonstrations against the pension law—passed in 2023 using Article 49.3—deepened mistrust. By announcing a pause, Lecornu seeks to avert the collapse of his minority government and to secure cooperation on the 2026 budget. According to Associated Press, the prime minister also ruled out using 49.3 on the budget, a signal that he intends to negotiate line by line.
Markets, meanwhile, are watching the fiscal math. Reuters argued that suspending the reform underscores the difficulty of enforcing discipline in a fragmented political landscape—but also reduces near-term political risk.
How much will the pause cost?
Lecornu has acknowledged a short-term bill for putting the brakes on the age rise—citing roughly €400 million in 2026 and about €1.8 billion in 2027. Those figures land on top of a broader structural gap in the pension accounts identified by the national audit office.
In February, the Cour des comptes projected that, even with the 2023 law phased in, the system’s deficit would stabilise around €6.6 billion to 2030, then worsen as demographics bite—reaching about €15 billion in 2035 and around €30 billion in 2045. Reuters’ summary of the report highlighted that cumulative gaps could add substantially to France’s public debt if unaddressed.
Political reactions
The Socialists called the suspension a “first step” and signalled they might withhold their votes from no-confidence attempts if negotiations proceed in good faith—positions reflected in The Guardian’s report. The hard left and far right criticised the move as a tactical delay rather than a solution, renewing calls for repeal or new elections. Employers’ organisations have largely avoided reopening the age debate but continue to press for a credible path to reduce the deficit and protect competitiveness.
In a related development, labour unrest elsewhere in Europe — such as the large strike that grounded departures at Brussels Airport earlier this year — shows that economic frustration and resistance to austerity remain widespread across the continent. France’s government hopes its more conciliatory approach will prevent similar unrest at home.
What changes on the ground?
Legally, the 2023 reform remains on the books; its application—specifically the step-up to 64—would be deferred until after 2027. The government says it will launch a consultation with unions and business to examine alternative levers: contribution rates, special regimes, career-length rules, and measures to improve senior employment. Whether consensus emerges on any combination of those options will shape France’s next pension chapter.
The European context
France’s age threshold is low by European standards, even with the now-paused rise. Many EU countries already set “normal” retirement around 65 or higher and are linking future increases to life expectancy. For example, Belgium’s statutory age will rise to 66 in 2025 and 67 in 2030, while the Netherlands and several Nordics adjust automatically to longevity, as tracked by the Finnish Centre for Pensions. The OECD projects that normal retirement ages across advanced economies will continue to drift upward as societies age.
On spending, France is among the EU’s highest: Eurostat puts pension outlays at about 12.2% of GDP for the EU average in 2022, with France materially above that level in comparative breakdowns (Eurostat overview). That context helps explain why successive governments, not only Macron’s, have tried to curb long-term costs while safeguarding adequacy.
What to watch next
- Budget arithmetic: The 2026 budget must square the pension pause with deficit-reduction targets. The government has promised no “blank cheque,” signalling offsetting measures to avoid a wider gap.
- Social dialogue: Unions will press for fairness across professions, especially workers with long or physically demanding careers. Business groups will focus on senior employment, incentives to stay in work, and predictability.
- EU rules: As fiscal surveillance returns, France’s trajectory will be judged against common thresholds—another reason the pension numbers matter beyond Paris.
For now, the political temperature has lowered. But the core dilemma—how to finance retirement for longer lives without overburdening younger workers and the economy—remains unresolved. The pause buys time; it does not balance the books.
