French press review 16 December 2014

Immigration, retirement, austerity and taxis are the main items on this morning's front page menu.

Yesterday French President François Hollande officialls opened the Immigration Museum in Paris, taking the opportunity to make his first major speech on the divisive topic of France's population of foreign origin.

Le Monde points out that the president's desire to stress the importance of immigration as a factor in French diversity and wealth is itself a sign of the times. Says the centrist paper, what for years would have seemed an obvious and straightforward obligation for any sincere socialist now seems like a risky political undertaking.

Yesterday, you might remember, conservative paper Le Figaro was worried at the "flood" of immigrants threatening the delicate social and economic stability of struggling Europe.

In the course of 2014 an estimated 207,000 people tried to cross the Mediterranean.

In 2011, that number was "just" 70,000. In an editorial headlined "Exasperation" the conservative daily wondered just how far Hollande would be prepared to go in his efforts to satisfy the dictates of socialism and limit the benefits to the far-right Front National.

According to this morning's left-leaning Libération, the president bravely rose to the risk.

For Libé, Hollande's speech was a real left-wing performance, a call for a renewed policy of openness to immigrants.

They don't like it one little bit at Le Figaro, saying that the president's speech failed to answer the serious questions. For the conservative paper, those are simply put - what does it mean to be French and what role can foreigners play in the construction of that identity? Says Figaro, referring to a long history of association between France and persons of other nationalities does nothing to resolve the crucial social and economic questions posed by the current wave of migrants.

This is not a question of left-right politics, says Le Figaro, nor a choice between generosity and closure. It's a practical problem acknowledged by a majority of French voters and it needs a practical solution, notably at the level of cooperation between the various governments concerned.

Of course, Le Figaro's steamroller for socialists moves relentlessly on, this morning warning that current retirement policy is financially unworkable. Two reports warn that the French pensions deficit is going to exceed 11 billion euros by 2018 with a need for additional income of five billion euros each year and savings of about 120 billion between now and 2030. The national financial watchdog sees nothing for it but to push the official retirement age to 64, as against the current 62 and the socialist wish to have us all go off on the long holiday at 60.

Le Figaro's editorial says the Socialists have denied the reality of retirement for 30 years. That reality is that people now live longer and, for Figaro, will thus have to work longer. But, warns the same editorial, don't expect any reasonable reaction to harsh financial reality from the current Socialist administration, adept at saying that the wall we are rapidly heading for is an illusion which will be swept away by future economic growth and increased employment.

There's a general strike in progress rignt now in Belgium where, according to the front page of the communist daily, L'Humanité, workers are protesting against an extension of the legal age for retirement and the freezing of salaries.

In Belgium the official retirement age has been pushed from 65 to 67.