Hundreds of thousands of people protested across France on Thursday against government plans to raise the retirement age, currently set at 60, by one or two years.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, 55, said earlier that the reform was his main priority this year. According to Sarkozy, retiring so young is now untenable as life spans have grown, AP reports.
With a retirement age of 60, France has one of Europe’s youngest retirement ages. In most European countries the retirement age is up to 65 years old.
“I think it makes sense to extend the limit, it’s inevitable if you ask me. When I’m 60, I will be in better health than my father was at the same age, even more so than my grandfather. But it’s important to make your voice heard,” one of the protesters told Euronews.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, 55, said earlier that the reform was his main priority this year. According to Sarkozy, retiring so young is now untenable as life spans have grown, AP reports.
With a retirement age of 60, France has one of Europe’s youngest retirement ages. In most European countries the retirement age is up to 65 years old.
“I think it makes sense to extend the limit, it’s inevitable if you ask me. When I’m 60, I will be in better health than my father was at the same age, even more so than my grandfather. But it’s important to make your voice heard,” one of the protesters told Euronews.
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