French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou has dismissed calls to reinstate 62 as the official retirement age, reducing the scope of discussions on amending the controversial 2023 pension reform.
Speaking on France Inter radio on Sunday, Bayrou reaffirmed that while the government is open to reviewing aspects of the reform—including the decision to raise the retirement age to 64—returning to the previous threshold is not an option.
“The representatives in the social conference know very well what the numerical situation is and which I asked the Court of Accounts to set out,” he said, referencing a report from France’s Court of Accounts that projected continued pension deficits even with the reform in place.
Bayrou, who leads a fragile minority government, had agreed to discussions with unions and business leaders to gain tacit support from opposition Socialists in parliament. While he acknowledged that there are multiple ways to restructure the pension system, he made it clear that rolling back the retirement age is off the table.
If unions and employers fail to reach a consensus on alternative measures, the government intends to proceed with implementing the 2023 reform as planned.
