French MPs adopt social security budget, suspend pension reform

A screen in France's Assemblée Nationale displays the results of MPs' vote in favor of adopting a 2026 social security budget and suspending a pension reform, Paris, France, December 16, 2025. DIMITAR DILKOFF / AFP

French lawmakers on Tuesday, December 16, adopted a social security budget, which includes the suspension of an unpopular pension reform, as Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu races to finalize a 2026 spending plan by year-end. The Assemblée Nationale approved the measure by 247 votes to 232, the first of two budget bills needed to pass before the December 31 deadline.

The version of the bill lawmakers approved includes the suspension of a 2023 reform to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64, a concession that secured the support of the Socialists, a swing group in parliament.

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