France

The rolling transport strikes that crippled Paris through much of December and January have stopped, as empty pay packets post-Christmas took their toll. Instead there has been a change of tactic, with the more radical unions now planning sporadic days of action. President Emmanuel Macron's bid to radically overhaul the post-war pension system reaches the National Assembly on Monday, ahead of a long period of debate. For the government, the pressure from the street has clearly diminished, even though the protests still draw tens of thousands.

BLOG: Any ‘just transition’ worth its name must square a circle along three dimensions: effective production, fair redistribution and political feasibility. The productive puzzle is about finding the most relevant technology for the transition to get going. Will green energy be based on solar or wind? Should nuclear power be included? And any transition implies winners and losers, thus raising questions of redistribution. Should the public purse subsidise isolated housing or exempt electric cars from road tax?

BLOG: Access to social and health services plays a key role in guaranteeing quality of life. This is particularly relevant for the most vulnerable in society, such as homeless people—for whom access may be particularly difficult even when services are potentially available. Studies show that strategies based on the presumption that the needs of homeless people can be met with standard services are proving ineffective. Successful policies are centred on individual needs and preferences.

INTERVIEW: Macron made grave errors with his pension reform. Can he save his image as a reformer? An interview with Martial Foucault.

The French government announced a major concession in its fight with unions over the country’s pension system after five weeks of massive protests that have caused widespread disruption in the country. President Emmanuel Macron’s original pension plan would have replaced the current system, which has 42 different pension plans for workers in the private and public sectors, with a universal points-based system. The proposal would have raised the age to receive a pension from 62 to 64, making millions of people work longer or receive lower payments.

After two years of consultations and weeks of union-led strikes the French government has finally published its pension reform bill. Here's a look at some of the main points in it including the controversial "pivot age" of 64. The text, described as a draft-bill (avant-projet de loi), includes 64 different articles and runs into dozens of pages.

BLOG: The 2010-decade was a challenging period for the world. Latin America’s economy was doing relatively well at the beginning of the decade. However, the region’s economy is stagnated. The European Union has been struggling too. Besides economic stagnation, right-wing populist candidates have been on the rise. The populists’ slogans on preserving national identity and tackling uncontrolled immigration have gained traction. Further, the Brexit movement has made analysts and pundits question the European Union model of economic interconnectivity. 

Can president Emmanuel Macron reform the French pensions system? As French unions and workers are marching across France in opposition to the reform project for the sixth day of a renewable strike that some hope will be 'unlimited', the question of the reform's feasibility is being raised.