France's Retirement Age

France should lower the retirement age back to 60 because of all the protests that the government is getting that is causing many problems.

            Did you know that at 60, France’s retirement age is one of the lowest in Europe? Earlier this week, lawmakers in France’s lower house passed President Nicolas Sarkozy’s pension overhaul, which includes an increase of the minimum retirement age from 60 to 62. “This is one of the most important reforms of this Parliament and presidency,” said Jean-François Copé, leader of Mr. Sarkozy’s center-right party in the National Assembly. “It’s about preserving the pension system for our children.” This reform doesn't seem absolutely necessary, in my opinion. Unions, meanwhile, have seized on the issue, which has long roused passions in a country where for decades the trend has been to cut the time people spend at work. Victor Grezes, a Student Union Leader had said that,"We are showing that we have had enough and that we want the government to withdraw this pension reform. Young people today have to fight for their future and this reform is not what we want."





Sources: 

"French students protest over retirement reform" Jean-Marie Godard, Associated Press
"France Moves to Raise Minimum Age of Retirement" Katrin Bennhold, New York Times