France pension reform bill

BILL

The bill seeks to increase the retirement age from 62 to 64 years old.

Reason of protests.

The proposed French pension reform bill has been a contentious issue, leading to protests and disruptions since it was introduced to the National Assembly on 30 January.

The bill was debated by the Assembly in February, but Article 2 of the draft law was rejected by a majority vote. In an attempt to push the bill through, on 17 February, the Borne government invoked Article 47-1 of the constitution, which allowed the bill to be transmitted to the Senate for consideration despite not being voted for in its entirety by the Assembly. This move was made to bypass the opposition deputies who had introduced numerous amendments to the bill to obstruct its passage.

Protests 

The Senate passed the bill on 11 March, with the Rally of Democrats, Progressive and Independent group voting in favor. A Joint Committee considered the bill and approved it with some amendments on 15 March, which were later accepted by the Senate on 16 March.

However, fearing that the bill would not have enough support to pass in the National Assembly, the government invoked Article 49-3 of the constitution on 16 March. This move allowed the bill to pass without a vote, unless a motion of no confidence in the government was tabled within 24 hours, which was done by opposition groups.

The motions were voted down on 20 March, allowing the bill to be passed. It is expected that the bill will soon be formally signed into law by President Emmanuel Macron.

This controversial use of constitutional mechanisms to push through the pension reform bill has been met with widespread criticism and has further escalated tensions and protests across France. The impact of the bill remains to be seen, as it affects a large proportion of the population and has implications for the French economy.

Article 49.3 of the constitution of France 

Article 49.3 of the French constitution is a mechanism that allows the government to bypass parliamentary approval for a proposed law or policy. It is also known as the "Engagement de responsabilité" or "commitment of responsibility" in French.

Under Article 49.3, the government can force a bill through the National Assembly, the lower house of the French Parliament, without a vote. This is done by linking the bill to a vote of confidence in the government. If the government loses the vote of confidence, it must resign, but if it wins, the bill is considered passed.