France: “Pacte” Law – Future Changes In The Application Of The Workforce, Employee Savings And Employee Shareholding Thresholds And Retirement Plans
The Law on Business Growth and Transformation, the Pacte Law, was adopted by the French parliament. It modifies many instruments in social matters. Thus, the methods for calculating the staffing thresholds are harmonised and the threshold levels modified. In the event of crossing an upward threshold, to create new obligations, the threshold must be reached for five consecutive calendar years.
On the other hand, crossing the threshold downwards over a calendar year will have the effect of making this five-year period run again. The various employee savings schemes (profit-sharing, participation, PEE / PERCO) are modified and the reduced rate of the social fixed rate of 16% will be extended to all conditional corporate retirement savings plans. The development of employee shareholding is also planned (by means of the creation of a possibility of unilateral contributions on the PEE, the reduction of the social flat rate to 10%, etc.). It also provides for the sharing of transfer values with employees.
Lastly, the retirement plans (defined benefit plans, defined contribution plans, PERCO) are, moreover, profoundly modified. The law is pending publication in the Official Journal.
