French presidential candidate Edouard Philippe has proposed raising the legal retirement age to 65 and extending pension contributions to 45 years ahead of the 2027 election.
The former prime minister and leader of the Horizons party outlined the plan in a 20-minute video, describing his vision as responsible for all and fair for each individual. He urged France to take necessary decisions before a state financial crisis strikes.
Under his proposal, France would resume the 2023 pension reform that was suspended in 2025. That earlier measure sought to gradually increase the legal retirement age from 62 years and nine months to 64, while extending required contribution periods from 42.5 to 43 years. Philippe said his expanded reform would build on those targets to reach a statutory departure age of 65 and 45 annuities within less than ten years for eligible workers.
The mayor of Le Havre stressed that a fair rule must adapt to individual lives. He stated that special exceptions would apply to people who started working at a very young age, those in physically demanding jobs, and workers whose health has been worn down by labor. Under his proposed framework, Philippe estimated that one in three French citizens would still be able to retire between the ages of 60 and 64.
Retirement savings plans
Philippe also proposed complementing the traditional pay-as-you-go system, which he insisted must remain the foundation of French pensions, with a funded capitalisation component. In a pay-as-you-go framework, active workers fund current retirees through contributions. Philippe expressed his desire to ensure all French citizens have access to an individual retirement savings plan, promising to make such accounts among the most attractive investment options on the market.
Philippe served as prime minister under President Emmanuel Macron from 2017 to 2020, leading the government during earlier efforts to overhaul national welfare programs. Pension policy remains a highly sensitive topic in France, having sparked nationwide protests and political turbulence. Political opponents have previously targeted Philippe, portraying him as a proponent of raising the legal retirement age even further to 67.
Presidential campaign race
The announcement comes as the French government prepares to present its upcoming budget proposal. It also arrives during a difficult period for candidates representing the central political block ahead of the 2027 presidential election. Recent opinion polls indicate that both Philippe and former prime minister Gabriel Attal lack momentum in the campaign, placing them behind far-right leader Marine Le Pen and left-wing politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon.
Marine Le Pen, who leads the right-wing National Rally party, and Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the founder of the left-wing France Unbowed movement, have both strongly opposed raising the pension age in previous parliamentary debates. Centrist allies of Macron, including Philippe and Attal, are seeking to reposition their economic platforms as fiscal pressures on state expenditure mount.
