MOSCOW, March 18. /TASS/. In contrast to the French government, the Russian authorities have managed to virtually keep all benefits and entitlements intact while reforming the pension system, Russian President Vladimir Putin recalled as he debated the distinctions between the reforms being carried out in Russia and those under discussion in France.

Speaking in an interview for the TASS project entitled "20 Questions with Vladimir Putin" the Russian head of state recalled that the draft being considered in France had sparked trade union demonstrations. The new rules are planned to be introduced starting from 2025 for all employees born after 1975. The architects of the reform recommend abolishing 42 special retirement plans envisaging benefits for a number of trades and professions, and opt for a universal system. Pensions will be calculated on the basis of pension points that employees earn throughout the span of their career, while the "cash value" of such points will be established annually by an administrative board of the national pension fund.

The Russian leader noted the most critical issue of France’s pension reform "was the one related to early retirement and basically equal treatment for all."

"From an economic standpoint, this is actually reasonable. Pragmatically speaking, President Macron is doing the right thing overall," Putin said.

He pointed out that Russia opted for a different solution leaving practically all privileges intact.

"We still have early retirement, while in France its [dissolution] is precisely the reason for the discontent," Putin explained. He stressed that privileged retirement conditions were enjoyed by the military, law enforcement personnel, coal miners, teachers, mothers of 3+ children and some other social groups.

Episode 16 of the video interview is available at https://putin.tass.ru/en.