France’s Macron to launch controversial pension overhaul

PARIS – French President Emmanuel Macron is holding a special government meeting to outline his domestic agenda for the coming year, including a controversial overhaul of the pension system.

Macron is gathering government members Wednesday at the president’s Elysee Palace in the presence of High Commissioner Jean-Paul Delevoye, who has been appointed this week to drive the reform.

Macron has said the changes would make the public pension system “fairer.”

But the move is expected to be perilous for the government after so-called “yellow vest” protests against social injustice disrupted Macron’s reform attempts last autumn and challenged his leadership for months before petering out this summer.

Some labour unions, which say that the changes will make people work longer and reduce pensions, have already scheduled strikes and protests for this month.