Schmidt Comments on French Pension Reform Protests
In an interview with Candian television network CHCH-DT, Vivien Schmidt, Jean Monnet Professor of European Integration and Professor of International Relations and Political Science at Boston University’s Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, was interviewed on French President Emmanuel Macron’s stance on the ongoing pension reform protests.
Schmidt gave an overview of Macron’s position and bargaining abilities with the unions leading the protests: Macron could negotiate with unions, but he is choosing not to bargain with them. Instead, Schmidt believes that Macron is waiting until the French Constitutional Council rules on the reform bill as being constitutional, or parts of it as unconstitutional before he proceeds to meet with protestors.
She also commented on the uniqueness of the reform bill’s development in that Macron chose not to meet with any unions before the bill was introduced. Usually, before key labor reforms such as the current pension bill, the government meets with unions to discuss tenets of the bill to gauge the public’s reaction. This particular bill did not undergo that process and as a result, all major labor unions in France are united against the passing of this bill.
You can watch the full interview here.
Vivien Schmidt is a Professor of International Relations and Jean Monnet Professor of European Integration at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies and was the first Director of BU’s Center for the Study of Europe, housed at the Pardee School. Schmidt’s research focuses on European political economy, institutions, democracy, and political theory—in particular on the importance of ideas and discourse in political analysis. Read more about Professor Schmidt on her faculty profile.