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☆ French Senate adopts Macron's pension reform in wake of days of protests
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, March 11 (Reuters) - The French Senate on Saturday adopted President Emmanuel Macron's unpopular pension reform plan, with 195 votes for and 112 votes against, a bill whose key measure is raising the retirement age by two years to 64. The upper house of the French Parliament voted on the text in the wake of a seventh day of nationwide demonstrations against the plan. Now that the Senate has adopted the bill, it will be reviewed by a joint committee of lower and upper house lawmakers, probably on Wednesday. An additional day of nationwide strikes and protests was planned for Wednesday. Reporting by Benoit Van Overstraeten; Editing by Grant McCoolOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ French Senate votes to raise retirement age to 64
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Protesters hold a banner during a demonstration against French government's pension reform plan in Paris as part of a day of national strike and protests in France, January 31, 2023. French senators early on Thursday voted in favour of raising the legal retirement age to 64 from 62, a first win for President Emmanuel Macron's pension reform plans which have sparked protests and strikes across the country. Two hundred and one members of the Senate, dominated by the conservative Les Republicains party, voted in favour of the reform's flagship article 7 on the retirement age, while 115 voted against it. The French upper house is expected to approve the remaining articles of the reform bill later this week. It will then be submitted to a mediation committee between lawmakers from the Senate and the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, next week.

☆ French Senate votes raising retirement age to 64
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, March 9 (Reuters) - French senators early on Thursday voted in favour of raising the legal retirement age to 64 from 62, a first win for President Emmanuel Macron's pension reform plans which have sparked protests and strikes across the country. Two hundred and one members of the Senate, dominated by the conservative Les Republicains party, voted in favour of the reform's flagship article 7 on the retirement age, while 115 voted against it. The French upper house is expected to approve the remaining articles of the reform bill later this week. It will then be submitted to a mediation committee between lawmakers from the Senate and the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, next week. The government is hoping the pension changes will be adopted by parliament by the end of the month.

☆ Unions seek to bring France to a halt to block pension reform
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Ingrid Melander | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Suburban trains are seen at the Saint-Lazare train station in Paris on the eve of the sixth nationwide day of strike and protests against the pension reform in France with heavy disruption on French SNCF railway and the Paris transport RATP networks, France, March 6, 2023. "Together, on March 7th, let's put France to a halt! "People massively reject this reform," CFDT union leader Laurent Berger told France Inter radio. "The future of our pension system is at stake," Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne told France 5 TV on Monday. "We are moving up a gear," the head of CGT union, Philippe Martinez, told weekly JDD.

☆ French PM offers to tweak pension overhaul for conservatives backing
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A general view shows protesters, members of French Socialist party and members of the EELV ecologist party gathering at Place d'Italie during a demonstration against French government's pension reform plan in Paris as part of a day of national strike and protests in France, January 31, 2023. REUTERS/Benoit TessierPARIS, Feb 5 (Reuters) - French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne offered on Sunday to soften a planned pension overhaul to let some people who started work early also retire early in order to win conservatives support for the reform in parliament. While workers who started to work before 20 would be allowed to continue to leave the workforce early under the reform, Borne said she was open to suggestions from conservatives to extending the measure. "We are going to move by extending the measure for long careers to those who started working at 20 and 21. They will be able to retire at 63," Borne said in an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche Sunday newspaper.

☆ Factbox: Later retirement, income guarantees: What's in France's pension reform?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Jan 31 (Reuters) - President Emmanuel Macron's plan to reform France's costly pension system, including raising the retirement age, has infuriated trade unions who are calling for a second day of nationwide strikes on Tuesday. * Retirement age pushed back by two years to 64. * Guaranteed minimum pension income of not less than 85% of the net minimum wage, or roughly 1,200 euros per month at current levels, for new retirees. After year one of retirement, the pensions of those receiving a minimum income will be indexed to inflation. Existing forecasts without any reform show a pension budget deficit of 13.5 billion euros in 2030.

☆ France hit by new wave of strikes against Macron's pension reform
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

On the rail networks, only one in three high-speed TGV trains were operating and even fewer local and regional trains. Marching behind banners reading "No to the reform" or "We won't give up," many said they would take to the streets as often as needed for the government to back down. He sits in a chair ..., he can work until he's 70, even," she said. "We can't ask roof layers to work until 64, it's not possible." It's a real message sent to the government, saying we don't want the 64 years," Laurent Berger, who leads CFDT, France's largest union, said ahead of the Paris march.

☆ Macron campaign accounts cleared by French audit body
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Jan 27 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron's 2022 election campaign finances, which came under scrutiny amid a wider controversy linked to U.S. consultancy McKinsey's ties to his government, were cleared by an audit commission, the body saidon Friday. The independent state body said it had received two tips about alleged irregularities in Macron's re-election campaign accounts which cited "irregular" assistance from unspecified consultancies, but said they appeared to be unfounded. Macron has said his campaign accounts had been flawless and that, as president, he does not directly deal with public tenders, adding: "The core of the investigation is not about me." With his campaign accounts now cleared and confirmation he did not break the legal ceiling applied to presidential election spending, Macron will get back about 10.4 million euros ($11.30 million) from the state towards his campaign spending. All the other contenders in the 2022 presidential election had their campaign accounts cleared by the state body.

☆ French nurse fears Macron's pension reform will leave women worse off
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Juliette Jabkhiro | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

PARIS, Jan 20 (Reuters) - French nurse Maryse Lopez says women get a raw deal in President Emmanuel Macron's pension reform because they take longer parental leave and work part time more often than men. Macron wants to raise the retirement age by two years to keep the pension system out of the red. Like many women, Lopez took six months of maternity leave and worked part time a few years for childcare. "We need to live life in good health and not be completely broken by the time we retire," Lopez said. [1/3] French nurse Maryse Lopez attends a demonstration against the French government's pension reform plan in Paris as part of a day of national strike and protests in France, January 19, 2023.

☆ France now holds over 90% in EDF, allowing for squeeze-out, ministry says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Jan 20 (Reuters) - The French state acquired enough EDF (EDF.PA) shares on the market to start squeeze-out proceedings as it fully nationalises the nuclear energy giant, the finance ministry said on Friday. The government now holds 92.71% of voting rights in EDF, the ministry said, marking the successful end of the full takeover proceedings, launched by President Emmanuel Macron's government last summer, which cost Paris some $10 million. Debt-laden EDF (EDF.PA), Europe's biggest nuclear power operator, runs France's nuclear reactor fleet, some hydropower plants and other production sites and supplies millions of households with electricity. Its de-listing from the Paris stock market will be the end of an era for the utility which was partially privatised in 2005, when a chunk of its share capital was floated at 33 euros ($35.82) a share. ($1 = 0.9213 euros)Reporting by Tassilo Hummel; Editing by Josie KaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ France contends with widespread strikes as unions take to streets against pension reform
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

French unions and demonstrators have taken to the streets on Thursday in widespread industrial action against the government's projected pension reforms. The pension reform is "just and responsible" and must be carried out, Macron said Thursday, according to Reuters. The organizations will convene Thursday evening to determine convening further industrial action. Rail operator SNCF warned train travel will be "severely disrupted" by industrial action between 7 p.m. local time on 18 Jan. and 8 a.m. on Friday. He reiterated his objections to the reform plan and stressed the syndicates' willingness to continue strikes beyond the first day of industrial action, "It is a first day, therefore, we will have others."

☆ Thursday's strike will not disrupt refineries if shortlived -Total CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

"We don't stop the refineries for one day", Pouyanne said, "we put them at a minimum which keeps them functioning", adding "strikers can decide to block shipments which can prevent the trucks from rolling." Operations at refineries could only be disrupted if the strike lasts several days, he said. A union representative earlier said no oil will be shipped from the TotalEnergies' refinery in Dunkirk, northern France, on Thursday. "We have plans in place to maximize our fuels supply to mitigate any potential impacts on our customers," a spokesperson from Esso said. Reporting by Forrest Crellin, editing by Tassilo Hummel and Elaine HardcastleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Factbox: Workers vs Macron: What to expect from Thursday's strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Two cabin crew unions and a union at Air France (AIRF.PA) called on employees to attend the strike. FINANCEThe banking and financial industry branch of the FO union called on employees to join the strike. The Unsa-Sante union has filed a strike notice from Jan. 10 until Feb. 1, citing the pensions reform specifically. LOGISTICSThe FO union of truck drivers and other logistics workers announced "indefinite" strike action from Jan. 19 to "win the fight" against the reform. REFINERIESThe CGT trade union announced strikes in the refinery sector, where petrol supplies were disrupted last year during weeks of industrial action.

☆ Dialogue not over, French PM says as workers protest pension reform
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Bridges between President Emmanuel Macron's government and labour unions are not burned despite nationwide strike plans, the French prime minister said on Saturday as her government battles to tame public anger over an unpopular pensions reform. Elisabeth Borne earlier this week broke the news to the French that they will have to work two years longer, to age 64, before receiving the state pension, if the reform - one of Macron's main political promises - is adopted by parliament. "My objective today is to convince the French people that we have paid attention to all the particular hardships, that this reform is fair and that it enables social progress." Borne responded: "I hear all those who are calling the reform brutal, I think what would be brutal is for our country to not have a pay-as-you-go pension system any more". She repeated the government's mantra that the reform was needed to keep finances in balance.

The French will have to work two years longer to age 64 before retiring, if the reform, announced on Tuesday, is adopted by parliament. They will also need to work longer to get a full pension. "I don't understand the principle of making people work longer when there are lots of young people looking for work." Unions will in any case get the support of the left-wing Nupes coalition in parliament, which urged workers to protest on Jan. 19. Under its plan, the retirement age will be raised by three months per year from September, reaching the target age of 64 in 2030.

☆ Morning Bid: Paging Mr. Powell
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Asian stocks edged lower on Tuesday after recent gains even as Asian tourism-focused businesses geared up for a return of Chinese tourists after the country's borders reopened on Monday. Later on Tuesday, Fed boss Powell is set to make a speech that could give further clarity on the pace of rate hikes while U.S. inflation data out on Thursday will further cement expectations. In Japan, consumer inflation exceeded the central bank's 2% target for a seventh straight month in a sign of broadening inflationary pressure. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsMeanwhile, the French need to prepare to work longer than they do now. Reporting by Anshuman Daga; Editing by Sam HolmesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The most likely scenario would see the government raising the retirement age to 64 from 62 currently. But polls show pension reform is unpopular. Some 47% want no change to the retirement age and 25% want retirement to be earlier than now. Macron had to put his first pension reform bid on ice in 2020 as the government rushed to contain the COVID outbreak and save the economy. Now, although recent strike action has been limited to specific sectors, such as refineries and airlines, outrage over pension reform could easily spark broader protests.

☆ Kremlin says new Western armoured vehicles for Ukraine will 'deepen suffering'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 9 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Monday that new deliveries of Western weapons, including French-made armoured vehicles, to Kyiv would "deepen the suffering of the Ukrainian people" and would not change the course of the conflict. France and Germany announced last week that they would send light combat vehicles to Ukraine, ramping up their military support for Kyiv. The United States said it would also provide armoured fighting vehicles to Ukraine. "This supply will not be able to change anything", Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday. Macron was criticised in Ukraine and in some Western capitals for holding hours-long phone calls with Putin in the early weeks of Russia's invasion.

☆ France announces it will end visa restrictions with Morocco
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Dec 16 (Reuters) - France will end visa restrictions for Moroccan nationals, the foreign minister said on Friday, in a sign of warmer relations between the two countries after more than a year of tensions between Paris and Rabat. Morocco's Bourita said France had made a unilateral decision to end restrictions after what he said was also a unilateral decision to introduce the restrictions. France has generally warmer relations with Morocco than with its eastern neighbour Algeria, also a former colony. The improvement in relations comes two days after France and Morocco played each other in the football World Cup semi-finals in Qatar. France won the match, which gave greater visibility to the extensive links between the two countries and their dual nationals.

☆ Ukraine, Baltics rebuke Macron for suggesting 'security guarantees' for Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

read moreUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's top aide, Mykhailo Podolyak, said that it is the world that needs security guarantees from Russia, not the other way around. "Civilized world needs 'security guarantees' from barbaric intentions of post-Putin Russia," Podolyak said on Twitter on Sunday. "Someone wants to provide security guarantees to a terrorist and killer state?" "The only security guarantees we should focus on are essentially non-Russian," he said on his Twitter account. "After that, we are ready to sit down at the negotiation table and talk about security guarantees."

☆ France's Le Maire: We went too far in use of consulting firms
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Nov 27 (Reuters) - The French government made excessive use of consultancy firms in the past and is now striving to correct that, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Sunday. For years, this government and previous governments relied too much on consultancy firms. This was corrected by the Prime Minister's instruction that all ministries cut by 15% the use of consultancy firms," Le Maire told France 3 television. Between the first half of 2021 and the first half of 2022, the Finance Ministry had for instance managed to cut by 34% its use of consultancy firms, he added. A report by the French Senate in March 2022 had notably pointed out that the government was "dependent" on consulting firms such as McKinsey.

The move angered foreign governments and foreign-owned carmakers who say the change will disqualify a majority of their EV fleets from North American markets. "But it should not have negative side effects on their European allies and the European economy." South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol also spoke to Biden about the issue during a bilateral meeting at the G20 summit, according to Yoon’s office. The Treasury is working to define the rules for some $278 billion worth of tax credits on EVs, solar and wind power investments and a range of other technologies. While a number of countries have said the U.S. tax credits likely violate World Trade Organization rules, none have sought to file a formal challenge.

Leaders from the Group of Seven nations as well as Spain and the Netherlands, who are all on the Indonesian island of Bali for the G20 summit, held an emergency meeting in response to the missile strike in Poland. The G20 leaders' meeting on Wednesday will be important to raise their awareness of the war in Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron's office said on Tuesday after reports of the blasts in Poland. G20 leaders were due to visit a site in Bali to plant mangroves on Wednesday morning, although the schedule of the meeting hosted by Indonesia has not always run to plan. As at other recent international forums, the United States and its allies were seeking a statement from the G20 summit against Moscow's military actions. A 16-page draft declaration seen by Reuters, which diplomats said was yet to be adopted by leaders, acknowledged the rift over the Ukraine war.

[1/4] A migrant, in need of urgent hospital care, lies on a stretcher, as officers prepare them for helicopter transport from rescue ship 'Ocean Viking' in the Mediterranean Sea, November 10, 2022. The Ocean Viking, which is operated by the SOS Mediterranee charity, was sailing on Thursday by the French island of Corsica, but had previously been close to Italy. The French would also reinforce controls at its borders with Italy to prevent migrant crossings, he said. Ocean Viking was the fourth. The far-right was quick to react to the decision to let the Ocean Viking dock, with the RN's Marine Le Pen tweeting that he was being "dramatically" soft on immigration.

☆ French minister says will not pay for Twitter's blue checkmark
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

It said those who "sign up now" can receive the checkmark next to their user names, "just like the celebrities, companies and politicians you already follow". Before Musk took over, a blue checkmark next to a user name meant Twitter had confirmed the account belonged to the person or company claiming it. Like nearly all French government ministers, Veran has a verified Twitter account with a blue checkmark beside his name. French President Emmanuel Macron's @EmmanuelMacron account, also verified, has 8.8 million followers. Most French ministries, government offices and agencies, departments and prefectures also have verified Twitter accounts, as do many towns, cultural institutions and even Paris metro lines.

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