policy. New contract for seniors, sick leave… Le Maire’s ideas for deficit reduction

After the deficit reduction announced earlier in the week, Public Accounts Minister Thomas Cazeneuve said on Friday that he was “open” to all proposals to find savings. Well, Bruno Le Maire has plenty of ideas, which he reveals in a daily interview this Saturday Western France.

In this meeting, Minister DrEEconomy and finance ensure that it will not improve the management of long-term illnesses (ALD), contrary to what patient organizations and health professionals had feared. On the other hand, he mentioned a new form of contract for workers above 55 years of age.

Share the cost

For him, ALD is an “essential pillar of unity” that “must not be touched”. “But it is precisely because we want to protect these sick people – There are twelve million of them – That we should think more generally about the financing of our social model,” the minister hinted, emphasizing “choices”.

Bruno Le Maire wonders about compensation for unemployed seniors: “Is it really relevant that people over 55 have a long compensation period? Isn’t this a way to turn unemployment insurance into stealth retirement? “

He proposed “an agreement in which seniors would work 80% of their time, receive 90% of their salary and be entitled to 100% of their pension”. Asked about his support for this system, he replied: “I am in favor of cost sharing”, adding that “companies have a certain responsibility to exercise”.

There is still no question of upgrading the social minimum

The minister also referred to the reform of daily allowances while “sick leave has increased by 10% post-Covid”, thereby seeking to start a debate on the “principle of justice” from this year to “fight abuse”. Meet with those who work.

Asked about the possibility of seeing a re-evaluation of pensions and social benefits in line with inflation in 2025, the minister replied that “this will be decided during the 2025 budget”. “The question on the table at the moment is the additional savings needed to ensure that we get below the 3% deficit in 2024 in 2027,” he explains.

On Tuesday, INSEE announced that France’s public deficit rose to 5.5% of GDP in 2023, up from the 4.9% expected by the government. “The geopolitical situation has changed. So I will present a new deficit and debt forecast within ten days, during the presentation of the stability program in the Council of Ministers,” Bruno Le Maire indicated in the interview.