VIDEO. The first declarations of the deputies during the examination of the pension reform

“With an employment rate for 55-64 year olds just over 54%, you are building an RSA machine.“After many demonstrations, the pension reform project has finally arrived at the National Assembly. The deputies begin the examination of this controversial text. The exchanges follow one another and the arguments are opposed… Here is all that it is necessary to retain of these first days of debates.

The majority and the ministers wanted to defend their project before the hemicycle. “I know that this reform is difficult, but I also know that carrying out this reform means having the necessary courage that others have not had.”, declared Olivier Dussopt, Minister of Labour, Full Employment and Integration. “There is no viable counter-project, because while we are asking the French people to make a real effort, the populists of all stripes are trying to make them believe that they have the magic solution and mislead them about our intentions.”, added Charlotte Parmentier-Lecocq, Renaissance MP.

The opposition did not lack arguments to contradict the defense of the majority. “The total impasse is made on absolutely fundamental subjects. A pay-as-you-go system, with an aging population, is by definition condemning oneself, every 5, 10 to 15 years, to pushing back the age, as soon as one does not introduce, in addition to the pay-as-you-go, a capitalization dose, and this is not provided for in the introductory article“, thought Philippe Juvin, deputy LR. Some suggest other ways to make up the shortfall to fund premiums. “It is true that we are coming to the end of a model, so it is time to come to the end of a taboo: it is essential to finance capital and dividends, financial investments and heritage more heavily. The 5 million euros in stock market income of the 10 richest families alone would make it possible to halve the efforts required of working people”, explained Paul-André Colombani, LIOT deputy.