French PM vows to reopen pension reform talks amid growing debt crisis

France's Prime Minister, François Bayrou, outlined his government's ambitions in front of the Assemblée nationale.

French Prime Minister François Bayrou on Tuesday vowed to reopen talks on reforming pensions as he conceded the country's spiralling debt problems would preoccupy government planning over the coming parliamentary sessions.

During a 90-minute address to the National Assembly, Bayrou said: "I have decided to put the pensions issue back on the table, with the social partners, for a short time and under transparent conditions."

The 73-year-old, who replaced Michel Barnier last December, said the review would be done without any restrictions.

François Bayrou named French prime minister as Macron seeks stability

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President Emmanuel Macron pledged to revamp France's complicated system of pensions as part of his second term in office. The proposals led to widespread protests over the key plank of the reforms - raising the retirement age to 63 by the end of 2026 and 64 by 2030.

Ushering in the rethink, Bayou said the timeline gave the review panel a window of opportunity.

"But I would like to set a shorter-term deadline, in the autumn, when the next social security funding bill will be discussed," he added.

Bayrou, in his first major policy speech to French MPs, told them that he was going to ask the Cour des Comptes (independent auditors of public finances) to draw up detailed figures for the review.

(With newswires)


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