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28-03-2023
PARIS: French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne told media she would meet opposition leaders early next month and be open to talks with unions, after weeks of protests against pension’s reforms.
She also said she would not make further use of the controversial mechanism that allowed her to force through the unpopular reforms without a parliamentary vote, outside of budget matters.
Borne spoke to media ahead of another day of action Tuesday organized by unions to protest the reforms to pensions, which include raising the retirement age from 62 to 64.
Stressing that she was open to talks with all social partners, she added: “We have to find the right path… We need to calm down” but she also said the pension’s reform would go ahead, subject to approval by the Constitutional Council, which will rule on the constitutionality of the legislation.
Opposition parties are hoping the Council will rule against the government over the reform because of the way it was forced through parliament without a vote.
Borne used Article 49.3 of the constitution, widely referred to as “the 49.3”, to push the draft legislation through the National Assembly without a vote when it became clear the government could not be sure it had the votes required.
This latest recourse to the measure triggered two votes of no-confidence, one of which the government survived by only nine votes and sparked a furious reaction in the streets.
The protest movement against the pension reform has turned into the biggest domestic crisis of French President Emmanuel Macron´s second mandate, with police and protesters clashing regularly in Paris and other cities since the reform was forced through.
Opposition pressure
Since becoming prime minister in May of last year, Borne has used the 49.3 11 times but she told media on Sunday that from now on she would not use it outside of financial matters.
Asked about her priorities for the coming weeks, she said: “I have two objectives: to bring calm to the country in the face of these tensions, and to step up providing answers to the expectations of the French people.” (Int’l News Desk)
