Macron ruled out putting pension reform to a referendum

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday, May 13, that the pension reform, which provides for raising the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64 years, will not be put to a referendum.

"This reform was necessary <...> The answer to the question about the possibility of holding a referendum is no," TASS quoted Macron as saying.

He added that the country's Prime Minister Francois Bayrou has already begun consultations with leading political forces and trade union centers on possible adjustments to the reform.

Macron stressed that raising the retirement age would save at least €17 billion by 2030.

Earlier, on May 1, in the French city of Nantes, during demonstrations on the occasion of Labor Day, police fired tear gas. According to local authorities, the protesters destroyed the prefecture and threw various objects and firecrackers at law enforcement officers. The police responded with water cannons and tear gas.

Protests also took place in Paris that day. At least 29 people were arrested during the Paris demonstration. More than 250,000 people across France took to the squares against the pension reform.