The age of ″retract″

In France, Macron is struggling with demonstrations against raising the age of “retraite” (retirement) from 62 to 64.

In Germany, discussions are beginning on the compensation eventually owed by the State and pharmaceutical multinationals to victims of collateral damage from vaccines against covid. Here, we say goodbye to Commander Rui Nabeiro who reached the age of 91 without stopping working while he could.

I chose these three flagrant contemporary examples because I think they reflect well the differences between three countries in a Europe that we like to say is advancing at full steam and at one and the same speed. Those who believe this must be the same ones who believe that Vladimir Putin was terrified by the condemnation of the International Criminal Court…

Regarding the retirement age, even if it has been reduced by a few months due to the high mortality rate resulting from the pandemic, it is incredible to see the controversy in France because of the Macron Government wanting to raise the retirement age by two years, to a level that still more than two years before ours. Note that, as I understand, retirement is also a matter in France after the same 40 years of discounts, which are also required here, which is why what is at the center of the discussion is the age at which the French can retire no penalty.

As here we have also had several weekends of consecutive demonstrations, but for other reasons and with other objectives, I even feel like saying that our good Portuguese people are heart and soul with the example of Rui Nabeiro, who worked as best he could until he left us at age 91. Which is the same as thinking that the new international trend of “quiet quitting” (which would freely translate to work as little as possible and only what is strictly mandatory) is also still far from reaching Portugal and affecting Portuguese workers.

As for possible compensation for the collateral damage of vaccines against covid (which in Germany have risen sharply), here for our land it is not even a subject.

It is therefore possible to argue that at least between Portugal, on the one hand, and France and Germany, on the other, we have a Europe that does not advance at the same speed. What is curious and original (if we weren’t talking about Portugal) is that this difference also varies depending on the theme. If in the case of the “retreats” we can say that we have already overtaken them on the left at great speed, in the case of the German indemnities, we continue to roll almost at a standstill, on the verge of losing sight of our partners. And as for possible compensation, of course they are already a mirage.

*Businessperson