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Macron stands firm on pension bill, says to enter into force by year-end

22 March 2023 17:20 (UTC +04:00)

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday said a deeply unpopular new law that raises the retirement age was necessary and would enter into force by the end of the year, APA reports citing Reuters.

Saying he had "no regrets," he however added that he wanted to improve a fraught relationship with labour unions and involve them more in future reforms, on topics including retraining for those in painful jobs.

"Do you think I enjoy doing this (pension) reform? No," Macron said in an interview with TF1 and France 2 TV. "But there are not a hundred ways to balance the accounts ... this reform is necessary."