Macron insists on pension reform despite massive protests Russia apparently wants to annex Belarus

French President Emmanuel Macron is sticking to his controversial pension reform despite weeks of mass protests and strikes.

“All in all, people know that we all have to work a little longer on average, otherwise we cannot finance our pensions properly,” Macron said on Tuesday during a visit to the Paris wholesale market. His reform provides for an increase in the retirement age from 62 to 64, as the working population has to pay for a growing number of retirees. There should be exceptions for people who start work early or are in heavy work, Macron said.

For weeks, Macron had not responded publicly to opposition to his reform plans, prompting hundreds of thousands to protest and sparking a turbulent parliamentary debate. “Work builds a nation’s strength and ability to fund its social system, which is primarily about education and health care,” Macron said on Tuesday. There is no alternative to the reform, because the population does not want to pay higher contributions or accept reductions in pensions.

The pension reform is considered one of Macron’s central projects. The government wants to gradually increase the retirement age from 62 to 64 years. In addition, the number of payment years required for a full pension must increase more rapidly. At age 67, there will then be pension with no deductions, regardless of how long it has been paid – this is what the government wants to keep. She wants to increase the monthly minimum pension to around 1,200 euros. Many in France have been working for over 62 years if they have not paid long enough for a full pension when they reach retirement age. (aeg/sda/dpa)