French MPs have voted in favour of a temporary suspension of the 2023 pension reform, included as an amendment to the 2026 Social Security budget.
The controversial reform increases the base retirement age for most workers from 62 to 64. Its suspension was used as leverage by Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu to gain the support of the left-wing Socialist Party in the Assemblée nationale.
In return for the Socialists not backing early votes of no confidence against him, Mr Lecornu promised to include a temporary suspension of the reform in the bill for MPs to vote on.
The reform is far from certain of coming into force, however. As part of the 2026 budget, it must go to the Senate for debate once MPs are finished with the text.
It is thought that the predominantly right-wing chamber may likely remove it from the bill ahead of returning it to MPs for a final vote on the text in December.
While MPs will be free to re-add the measure to the final text, whether it gains enough support the second time – and crucially, whether the budget is passed at all – is another matter.
If passed, the suspension would last until January 1, 2028. Candidates in the 2027 presidential election are expected to make clear in their manifesto whether they would reinstate, alter, or abolish the reform once elected.
President Emmanuel Macron cannot run for a third consecutive term, meaning the flagship measure of his presidency is no longer within his control.
Passing by 250 votes to 108 (with 110 abstentions), the amendment was backed by the MPs from the Socialists, Greens, and far-right Rassemblement National. Many centrists abstained.
The far-left La France Insoumise and Communists aligned with other centrists and right-wing MPs in attempting to vote down the bill. The former groups argued the measure did not go far enough.
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How does measure impact workers?
If it does come into force, a suspension of the 2023 reform would see the retirement age frozen alongside the number of contributing quarters needed to receive a full pension.
The pension reform sees the retirement age and corresponding number of quarters worked gradually increase over a period of several years. They would not be raised immediately.
The main groups affected are workers born in 1964 and the first three months of 1965, as the graph below shows. They would see their retirement age and necessary quarters frozen at the current rates (62 years, 9 months, and 170/171 quarters worked).
Those born between April 1965 and December 1968 would effectively see their retirement age brought forward three months earlier than if the suspension does not take place.
Those born in 1969 or later are unaffected.
Other changes
The suspension saw a late amendment from Mr Lecornu to include the ‘longues carrières, inaptitude et invalidité’ category for those who have had ‘long careers’ and began full-time employment before 21, or who have been impacted by disability or injury.
People in these groups already benefit from an earlier retirement age, generally two years before the general retirement age, although for those with a long career the same number of working quarters must be achieved.
Certain civil servants including police officers, firefighters, some nurses, and sewer workers will be able to retire three months earlier than under the 2023 reform.
