French president refuses to receive thousands of euros in pension as ex-president

French President Emmanuel Macron has given up his future pension of 6,220 euros gross each month as the country's former president.

The government will create a new pension system for former heads of state, based on the future universal points scheme, the Elysee noted, reports. Indeksonline.

Macron, who celebrated his 42nd birthday the day before, has also decided not to sit on the Constitutional Council - the office given to every former French president, with a salary of up to 13.500 euros.

With his decision on Saturday, Macron has become the first president to give up the benefit granted by the 1955 law.

France has a complex pension system, which is divided into 42 "special regimes" across the private and public sectors.

The proposed system would not change the statutory retirement age, which is currently 62, but workers would have to work until the age of 64 to receive a full pension.Indeksonline/