French court approves key elements of Macron pension reform
The French constitutional court on Friday approved the key elements of President Emmanuel Macron's controversial pension reform, while rejecting certain parts of the legislation.
The banner reform in the legislation to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 was validated by the Constitutional Council after almost three months of protests opposing the measure, AFP reported.
The court struck out six measures not seen as fundamental to the essence of the reform and threw out a request filed by the left for a referendum on an alternative pension law that would keep the retirement age at 62.
Armed police were deployed outside France's Constitutional Council on Friday ahead of its key ruling, according to Reuters.
President Emmanuel Macron says the French must work longer or else the pension budget will fall billions of euros into the red each year by the end of the decade. But the pension system is a cornerstone of France's cherished social protection model and trade unions say the money can be found elsewhere, including by taxing the rich more heavily.