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"No dissolution, no reshuffle, no referendum," said one participant after the conclusion of the meeting involving top government ministers and Macron camp officials.

According to one of the participants, the French president asked the government camp to present within "two or three weeks at the most" "proposals" to "change the method and agenda of reforms."

The same source clarified, Emmanuel Macron wants "some clear plans to be identified within a clear agenda", for example, until the 2024 Olympics "with a clear method" to avoid "the repetition of questioning the legitimacy of a legislative text ».

What does the pension reform bring?

One of the reasons that, according to the French president, it is necessary to increase the retirement age from 62 to 64 years, is demographic. France's population is aging and the risk of insurance funds becoming deficit and unsustainable is now visible.

At the same time, Macron wants to align France with other European Union countries - such as Spain, Germany, Greece - where the retirement age is 65 and 67.

- According to the reform, the increase of the limits from 62 to 64 years will be done gradually by adding one quarter and then the rest, starting from September and ending in 2030.

- From 2027 workers will have to have paid 43 years of social security contributions to receive a full pension, as opposed to the 42 years of contributions that were in force. Paying the extra year of contributions was foreseen but not implemented in the 2014 (pre-Macron) insurance reform, and now the French president is moving to implement the measure.

- The guaranteed minimum pension for new pensioners cannot be less than 85% of the minimum wage or around 1200 euros according to current levels.

- After one year the pension of those receiving the minimum will be adjusted based on inflation.

According to government forecasts, the reform will give a job boost to the 60-64 age group. In France the employment rate in this age group is only 33%, while in Germany it reaches 61% and in Sweden 69%.

According to the calculations of the French Ministry of Labor, the pension reform will contribute 17.7 billion euros per year to the pension fund, until 2030. At the same time, the government says that the pensions of the poorest 30% of the population will increase by 2.5% up to 5%.

In contrast, unions, which have strongly opposed the reform, say small increases in contributions could keep the system viable. At the same time, they characterize the measures as unfair, which will disproportionately affect low-skilled workers.

Macron may have passed the censure motions, but the social explosion is lurking. The pension reform may be on its way to becoming law, but its "popularity" within French society is in the... tartar. In all polls, consistently 2/3 of respondents oppose its implementation.

Voices from across the political and social spectrum are warning that the country is on the verge of a social explosion, at a time when a large part of the population is dominated by frustration and anger. "France is facing a dangerous political and economic crisis," said François Gir, from the French Institute for Strategic Analysis. "It is the beginning of a new form of political crisis, a combination of more frequent street protests and strikes, which are increasingly damaging the country's economy, alongside a government that cannot rely on a strong political majority," Gere said, warning that a deep and serious crisis is unfolding.

Unions issued a new call for nationwide protests on Thursday. And as all sides are with their finger on the trigger, tomorrow's marches on the French streets are expected to be particularly "hot". The Macron government has survived for the time being, but the gathering steam may blow the lid off. And a huge upheaval in France is a matter that cannot be contained within the country's borders. Depending on the development and political balances that may arise, tremors may be caused in the EU to a degree even... nightmarish.