Pension Reform

2023 — the reform that defined the second term.

The plan

The Borne government’s reform raised the legal retirement age from 62 to 64 and accelerated the increase in required contribution years. Macron framed it as financial necessity for the pay-as-you-go system; opponents called it brutal and unjust.

Article 49.3

Lacking a guaranteed majority, the government invoked Article 49.3 on 16 March 2023 to pass the bill without a vote — surviving the resulting no-confidence motions by a handful of votes. The move electrified the opposition.

The streets

Mass demonstrations swept France through the winter and spring of 2023. The photograph above shows protesters in Paris on 28 March 2023, during one of the largest days of action.

Enacted

The Constitutional Council validated the core of the law in April 2023, and it was promulgated on 15 April 2023. The reform stands — but at the cost of a lasting political wound and a presidency permanently associated with forcing it through.

Source notes

The 62-to-64 change, the 49.3 invocation (March 2023), the Constitutional Council decision, and the promulgation date follow contemporaneous French and international press coverage. The photograph is credited in its caption (CC BY-SA 4.0, Jules*).