Élisabeth Borne opens door to suspending pension reform
Former Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne has suggested suspending the pension reform to ensure national stability amid a post-dissolution political crisis. This proposal, coming from the architect of the 2023 project, draws sharp criticism over its moral and economic implications. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has not ruled it out, while calling for debate.
The pension reform, passed in 2023 under Élisabeth Borne's government via Article 49.3 of the Constitution, raised the legal retirement age to 64, sparking weeks of strikes and protests. In a Le Parisien interview published on October 8, 2025, Borne, now former Prime Minister, opened the door to a 'suspension' of this measure for the sake of 'national stability.' She stated it could be a concession to avoid another parliamentary dissolution, following the June 2024 crisis that weakened Emmanuel Macron.
Sébastien Lecornu, resigning Prime Minister tasked with finding a way out, deemed this file 'one of the most blocking' in a January 13, 2025 statement. He did not rule out suspension, calling to 'find a path for debate to take place,' while warning against 'demographic denial' that could jeopardize France's borrowing capacity.
Criticism abounds. Guillaume Tabard, in a Figaro counterpoint, calls the idea a 'capitulation' and 'renouncement,' arguing that offering this 'scalp' to the Socialist Party comes at the price of greater instability. Yves Thréard, in his editorial, sees it as a 'moral fault,' a compromise to ward off dissolution's specter, noting Macron risks having no reform left to bequeath.
Economically, Roland Lescure, resigning Economy Minister, warns the suspension would cost 'hundreds of millions of euros in 2026, and billions in 2027,' worsening public deficits.