France has one of the lowest retirement ages in the world. And that’s a big headache for Macron

Reforming the pension system has been a goal of Emmanuel Macron's since his election, but the strong opposition to his reform as well as the Covid-19 pandemic put a halt to his original bill. He is however expected to present a new project in the coming days.

According to associate professor at HEC Paris Business School Tomasz Michalski, tackling this issue could enable Macron to "appear as someone who can solve important structural problems, appease an important part of his electorate on the right [...] (and) to undermine a potential rival from (the centre-right party) Les Republicains" in the wake of the new elections of 2022.