French and Riviera News Thursday 23rd March 2023

News

Emmanuel Macron defends pension reform - French President Emmanuel Macron has broken his silence on the pension reform, outlining the way forward in an interview on French television on Wednesday. Macron defended his policy to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64, arguing that a government move to force the bill through parliament by decree was both legitimate and democratic. He said he hoped the legislation would be implemented by the end of the year after its examination by the Constitutional Council.

Industrial action today, Thursday 23rd March - Meanwhile, 12,000 police officers and gendarmes nationwide will be mobilised today to keep an eye on the latest day of strikes and protests against France's pension reforms. Demonstrations are planned in dozens of French towns and cities, including in Nice where protestors will gather outside the Centre Administratif at 10am and march towards Nice Airport. Unions are warning of a Black Thursday, with widespread disruption to public services, schools and hospitals. Public transport on the Riviera will be largely at a standstill. On the roads, due to a demonstration, the exit of interchange N°50 on the A8 motorway (Nice-Ouest) will be closed to traffic eastbound. between 9am and 2pm.

Emergency measures due to shortage of petrol - Several emergency measures have been passed by the Aix-en-Provence-Marseille metropolis due to a shortage of petrol at the pumps and to make travelling by public transport easier. Bus tickets in the area, which are normally only val