France: Corona pandemic cripples the country’s pensions system reform
June 3, 2021, 3:09 pm

France: Corona pandemic cripples the country’s pensions system reform

demonstrations in France

The French government’s controversial plans to reform the country’s pensions system cannot go ahead as intended due to the impact of the pandemic, President Emmanuel Macron has said. France

The proposed overhaul sparked widespread protests from 2019 until Macron announced the plans were put on hold in March last year as Covid-19 spread throughout France.

The president told reporters on Thursday, “I do not think that the reform as it was originally envisaged can go ahead as such”.

“It was very ambitious and extremely complex and that is why it generated anxiety, we must admit that. Doing it right now would mean ignoring the fact that there are already a lot of worries.”

Macron said there were problems with the text itself, in his first such admission the plans may have to be altered, according to broadcaster BFM TV.

The planned reforms comprised two pieces of legislation that were due to be put before lawmakers in the upper house of France’s parliament last April. France

The overhaul in its original form would have seen France’s 42 existing private and public sector systems merged into one points-based system.

Under the plans, the retirement age would have been raised, although Macron later removed this proposal under pressure from unions.

At the start of 2020, thousands of people across France took to the streets to protest the reforms, while unions threatened to take industrial action to force the government to scrap the plans altogether. France

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Source: RT

Image source: Reuters-RT

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”