French government will not back down on pension reforms: Spokesman

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) – Despite mass protests and unrest, the French government will not back down over its pension reforms, according to a spokesperson for President Emmanuel Macron’s administration.

The new law is expected to be approved by the Constitutional Council within a couple of weeks, government spokesman Olivier Veran said in an interview published by weekly newspaper Le Journal de Dimanche on Sunday.

The government’s position is clear and has been communicated by Macron himself, said Veran.

However, he said the government remains willing to hear unions’ concerns over the plan, which will raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 and require at least 43 years of work to be eligible for a full pension.

“The retirement age will be 64, but on many other issues, we are ready to work with unions,” Veran said.

The French government used special constitutional powers last week to push through the controversial plan without a parliamentary vote, leading to no-confidence motions from opposition parties that proved unsuccessful in ousting Macron.

The decision to bypass parliament was driven by fear that lawmakers would be able to block the reforms, as the government does not have an absolute majority.

On the charged protests playing out across France, he said the government understands that the people must be heard, but violence cannot and will not be tolerated.

Most of the demonstrators are members of unions or common people exercising their right to protest, but there are also those who want to sow discord in the country, Veran argued.

He said the government wants to ensure that violence does not become the central feature of the protests.

“For this, I call on all political forces to affirm that violence has no place in society,” he added.