Key facts
- French presidential candidate Edouard Philippe proposed raising the retirement age to 65.
- Philippe's plan includes raising the retirement age to 65 within a decade.
- The proposal requires 45 years of contributions, up from 42.5 to 43 years.
- One in three workers could retire between 60 and 64 due to exceptions for demanding jobs or early starts.
- Philippe also proposed making retirement savings compulsory and having the state contribute to young workers' plans.
- Emmanuel Macron's previous reform raised the retirement age to 64.
Edouard Philippe, a French presidential hopeful and president of the Horizons party, has proposed raising the legal retirement age from 64 to 65 for most workers as part of a broader pension reform. Philippe presented the plan as a necessary measure to address France's pension system deficit and fiscal outlook, noting that other advanced countries have similar systems.
In a YouTube video, Philippe stated that "allowing our country's financial situation to deteriorate, we will all pay the price" and that he was aware the proposal was unpopular. His plan includes gradually raising the retirement age to 65 within a decade and extending required contributions to 45 years, up from the current 42.5 to 43 years. Philippe also intends to make retirement savings compulsory, with the state contributing to young workers' plans as an incentive.
Philippe, a former prime minister under President Emmanuel Macron, is struggling to gain traction in the polls for the April-May 2027 presidential election. Recent surveys suggest he may not reach the runoff, trailing hard-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon and far-right frontrunner Marine Le Pen. Macron's previous pension reform in 2023, which raised the retirement age to 64, faced significant protests. To mitigate potential backlash, Philippe said his plan would allow one in three workers to retire between 60 and 64 if they have physically demanding jobs or started working particularly young.