Left in suspense during the Covid-19 crisis, the pension reform is again on the table and could be the last project of the Macron five-year term.

Guest from Europe 1 on Tuesday, economist Alain Minc believes that an increase in the retirement age is "the only sign of seriousness that France can send to the world".

INTERVIEW

"The question is not whether the law will be passed in November 2021, but what the candidate Macron assumes in terms of pension reform," said Alain Minc, economist and guest essayist at Europe 1, Tuesday.

Put aside during the health crisis, the pension reform could be the last major project of Emmanuel Macron's five-year term.

However, the systemic overhaul presented before the pandemic is no longer relevant, replaced by the project of a simple increase in the age of departure.

"I am convinced that we are in a hurry to send the sign of the passage to 64 years", insists the economist, seeing there the "only sign of seriousness" that France can send to the world.

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"We are making the reform for those who allow French officials to be paid"

"There are elections in Germany, the CDU candidate has a good chance of winning and Germany will once again become a little unorthodox economically", develops the economist.

"We have, economically, wonderfully managed this difficult pass, but with open windows," he continues, "we will have to send the world a sign of seriousness, and it is the only sign of seriousness that has major consequences".

However, Alain Minc refuses to use shortcuts according to which France would make this reform for others.

"We are making the reform for those who allow French officials to be paid," he argues, adding that France is the main European borrower.

"There is confidence in France, but we must prevent it from eroding," says the economist, who ensures that "a simple pension reform, even painful, corresponds to common sense".

"Keep it simple"

"It's common sense because it sticks to life expectancy," insists the economist.

"When retirement was invented in the 19th century by Bismarck, when you compare life expectancy and retirement age and if you apply the criteria to today, you would see that the retirement age in retirement should be 84 years old. We're not there yet. "

Recently, the Blanchard-Tirole report on major economic challenges says that this pension reform cannot be carried out without other developments in the labor market for active seniors, and without accompanying it with a reform of the health system. to support workers.

"We must come back to simple things" answers Alain Minc, who affirms that the economists Jean Tirole and Olivier Blanchard want the reform to be resumed with a delay, even shortened.

"I was in favor of this reform with what is called the grandfather's clause, ie it applies to people who are entering the labor market today," he said.

"Do you remember what the calculation of your own pension was at the time of the pseudo reform project? In any case, because it was incredibly complex".

After the health crisis, we must "keep to simple things", concludes Alain Minc.

"And the move from 62 to 64 is something that everyone can relate to, if not to like or approve of it."