Late on Saturday, March 11, the French Senate voted 195 to 112 to pass the text of a pension reform that raises the statutory retirement age from 62 to 64 by 2030, BFM reports.. TV.

Now it must be submitted to the Joint Committee for consideration, and then the Houses of Parliament must vote for it again..

The adoption of the pension reform took place against the backdrop of protests across the country. Demonstrations took place in more than 200 cities today, with up to a million people taking part, according to police.. Only in Paris, 80-100 thousand protesters took to the streets.

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Born tweeted to hail Senate's 'major step'.

“I will continue to apply my energy along with the entire government so that we complete the democratic process and that this text is voted on,” she added..

She expressed confidence that there are a sufficient number of deputies in parliament who will vote for the bill..

Now a group of senators and deputies are due to meet on Wednesday in a joint committee (CMP) to develop a draft compromise between the two chambers, which will have to vote separately on this text.. The final decision will be made by the French National Assembly.

When Macron proposed an overhaul of France's pension system in 2019, unions launched the longest transport strike in French history, bringing much of the country to a standstill.. But more than 45 days later, the transport workers returned to work, unable to afford the extended absence of pay..

Macron, whose party at the time controlled the National Assembly, seemed to have won his war of attrition with the French trade unions.. But then the Covid19 pandemic hit, and Macron halted plans to overhaul pension laws..