French lawmakers approved a social security budget, a major win for Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu that may stave off political chaos, albeit without addressing the country’s spiraling debt problem.
The battle over French pensions has forced three prime ministerial resignations this year. President Emmanuel Macron wants to raise the retirement age to 64, the EU average, but the move is staggeringly unpopular despite France’s deficit being the worst in western Europe.
Lecornu agreed to delay the reform until 2027, after the next presidential election. The prime minister, who has already resigned and been reappointed once, leads a fragile minority government, and faces another major hurdle with the state budget this month. The social security budget must still pass the upper chamber.