President Macron wants French pension plan implemented by end of year

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday that the pension bill that he pushed through without a vote in parliament needs to be implemented by the "end of the year.

Macron, who made the comments in an interview broadcast on national television, said the bill that raises the retirement age from 62 to 64 will continue its democratic path".

The Constitutional Council needs to review the bill in the coming weeks, and it can only be turned into law after the body gives its approval.

It was the first time that Macron had spoken publicly since his government forced the pension bill through parliament last week, prompting scattered protests in Paris and across the country, some degenerating into violence. His government survived two no-confidence votes at the lower chamber of parliament on Monday.

The 45-year-old French president repeatedly said that he was convinced that the retirement system needed to be modified to keep it financed.

"That reform is not a luxury, it is not fun,