At 62, the French have the lowest retirement age in the EU. Yet the adjustment of the retirement limit to 64 years, which President Emmanuel Macron is trying to make, is characterized as a “political stake” with high stakes.

Nine months after being elected for a second presidential term, his government this week unveiled a plan to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 by 2030. As a counterbalance, Prime Minister Elisabeth Bourne announced an increase in the minimum pension of 100 euros per month and additional benefits for those who work from an early age and are engaged in manual labor.

To those who look from the outside, this does not seem to be the biggest problem. To receive a “full” pension, workers in France had to work 43 years by 2027, up from 41 years currently. But for many, age 64, after being raised from 60 to 62 in 2010, is a big problem, according to GZERO.

Nearly 14% of France’s public spending now goes to pensions, the highest among OECD countries after Greece and Italy. If Macron does not intervene, it is estimated that the pension will be worth 10 billion euros each year until 2032. Meanwhile, France’s debt-to-GDP ratio is at an all-time high and growth is expected to be weak this year.

In addition to France having the lowest retirement age in the EU, life expectancy is about 30 years higher than it was in 1945, when the social security program was launched in France. In any case, a Frenchman will spend an average of 23.5 years in retirement today, according to the Economist, and a woman will live the same plus an additional 3.5 years. Over time, this group of unemployed will further burden the state treasury.

Macron has made pension reform the cornerstone of his domestic policy, vowing to see it through at all costs. The difficulty is that he cannot count on the support of voters, because his popularity is unsatisfactory. He won the election in April with just 38.5% of the vote.

In addition, about 70% of French voters oppose raising the pension limit. Indeed, many public sector workers say they are willing to accept lower wages if they provide decent and early retirement.

Part of the culture also plays a big role. French workers earn their living and often make fun of their American friends for their unhealthy work habits, notes GZERO. As a result, French workers have always regarded early retirement as a national right.

Macron is not the first president to try to change labor rights and pensions in France, and it is not the first time he has tried to do so. In 1995, Jacques Chirac’s proposal to cut welfare programs led to a general strike that forced the government to back down. Similar protests erupted in Macron’s first attempt to change the pension system in 2019, but the plan was ultimately abandoned due to the coronavirus.