Overview
- Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu told MPs the government will support amendments to abandon the 2026 freeze on basic pensions and social minima.
- A cross-opposition majority in the Social Affairs Committee has already struck the freeze from the text, which reaches the Assembly chamber on November 4 with a vote slated for November 12.
- The government has formally inserted a suspension of the move toward a 64-year retirement age until January 2028 into the Social Security budget.
- Right-led Senate leaders have signaled they would restore the pension reform if the lower house adopts the suspension, setting up a bicameral clash.
- The draft targets a €17.5 billion deficit in 2026 through unusually tight health spending growth and about €7 billion in savings, with contentious ideas to help cover costs estimated at €100 million in 2026 and €1.4 billion in 2027.