Hollande warns on pensions
As people are living longer they will need to pay into the system for longer before taking full retirement
PRESIDENT Hollande has said that people will have to work longer to be eligible for a full pension and said that the government cannot simply ignore the fact that people are living longer. He said that the economy was starting to turn round, with growth starting to happen.
Speaking to TV journalists at the Elysee Palace after the traditional July 14 parade on the Champs-Elysees, he said that pensions would have to be funded by a progressive increase in the number of years worked, with 41.5 years for those born in 1955.
He said that he preferred that this be agreed "by dialogue" but said that "immediate measures" needed to be taken because the state was facing a 20billion euro bill by 2020.
Speaking on several main topics, he itemised some measures to come:
Defence - he said the budget would be ring-fenced but added that some jobs would have to go. The budget will be fixed at present-day levels but he said there would need to be changes in focus "as we do not have the means today to do everything, everywhere". In April the government published a white paper that proposed up to 24,000 posts being cut by 2019.
Shale gas - Mr Hollande said that there would be no exploration for shale gas "as long as I am president". He pointed to the 2011 Sarkozy government law banning hydraulic fracturation due to the risks for the country's aquifers and said that they were already seeing such problems arising in the US.
Jobs - Mr Hollande said that there would be 100,000 jobs for young people by the end of the year and he reaffirmed his plans to reverse the rise in unemployment, which now sits at 3.26million. He also pointed to retraining plans for the jobless to fill the 35,000 jobs which are at present vacant.
Economy - Industrial production is starting to grow again, he said, and added that in France production was picking up faster than in other countries.
