Thierry Breton assures that it is not Europe which imposes the reform but he considers it “necessary”

The European commissioner for the internal market Thierry Breton assures Monday June 27 on franceinfo that it is not Europe which imposes on Emmanuel Macron to reform the French pension system, but he considers it “necessary in view of the imbalance of our pensions today”. He also thinks that France must reduce its deficit on behalf of future generations.

While elected officials La France insoumise, Les Républicains and Debout la France have been accusing Europe for several years of imposing a pension reform on Emmanuel Macron, Thierry Breton replies that a “part of the opposition, especially the extremes, is not really in favor of European policies, it’s no secret so we blame Europe for all the evils, but it’s not true” .

However, “everyone knows that it is absolutely necessary to have pension schemes that are balanced, so it is normal for France to look into this question, he continues. [Cette réforme] is necessary in view of the imbalance of our pensions today, but it is true for each Member State which is in imbalance, it is not only France”. The European Commissioner also thinks that France must reduce its spending so that the public deficit reaches 3% of GDP from 2027, instead of 6.5% in 2021 according to INSEE.

“A country cannot live permanently on the backs of future generations. From the moment you are beyond the 3% deficit, that means that you are borrowing on the backs of your children to make the operation of ‘ today. The families who hear me know that this is not normal. It is morally unacceptable. (…) Of course France is too indebted, and almost all the Member States are too indebted today. The risk is that we prevent future generations from doing what they have to do”he insists.