French Senate approves controversial pension reform Innocent man released after 34 years in prison

The French Senate has approved the government’s controversial pension reform. On Thursday morning, 193 senators voted in favor of the text, 114 voted against and 38 abstained.

In the afternoon, the National Assembly, as the second chamber of parliament, will vote on the gradual increase of the retirement age from 62 to 64 years.

If the MPs agree, the project would have finally made it through parliament. Until the end, however, the government was not sure that it would get a majority for what is probably its most important project. It is conceivable that she will reject the reform with the help of a special article in the constitution without a vote by the National Assembly.

The retirement age in France is currently 62 years. In fact, retirement starts later on average: those who have not paid in long enough to receive a full pension continue to work longer. At the age of 67, there will then be a pension without deductions, regardless of the payment period – the government wants to maintain this, even if the number of payment years required for a full pension increases faster. The cabinet wants to increase the monthly minimum pension to around 1,200 euros. With the reform, she wants to take action against looming holes in the pension fund. (saw/sda/dpa)