The Senate with a right-wing majority voted again on Saturday the bill establishing the vaccine pass, but maintaining certain points of disagreement with the National Assembly, which will therefore have the last word on Sunday.
The text was adopted at second reading in the early evening by 187 votes for, 66 against and 88 abstentions.
Read alsoVaccination pass: the evening when a tweet derailed negotiations in Parliament
The rapporteur Philippe Bas (LR) considered that the Senate thus affirmed “
its agreement in principle
” of the vaccination pass, while keeping its “
freedom
” on certain modalities.
Minister Brigitte Bourguignon, who represented the government, stressed that the deputies had already taken up several “
important points of the Senate
”, but noted that certain “
disagreements persist
”.
Last reading on Sunday
It will be up to the National Assembly, which will meet on Sunday afternoon for a final reading, to validate its own text on behalf of Parliament, and put an end to two weeks of a particularly chaotic legislative journey.
The Senate version removes the possibility of carrying out identity checks on the part of professionals - cinemas, cafes etc. - in case of doubt about the holder of a pass. This provision constitutes “
a drift in terms of probably excessive freedoms
”, moreover putting “
professionals in an uncomfortable situation
”, estimated Philippe Bonnecarrère (Centrist Union).
The senators also removed the administrative fine for non-compliance by the employer with the rules of telework. "
We do not want interference from the labor inspector
" and "
add administrative sanctions
" where legal sanctions already exist, said Philippe Bas. The deputies had for their part adopted the health bill in new reading in the early hours of Saturday, after a long night of debates.
Resuming the arguments of the opponents of the past, the environmentalist senator Thomas Dossus denounced a "
discriminatory and draconian
" measure.
The text of the deputies contained some openings in the direction of the senators, in the first place a relaxation so that the vaccination pass no longer applies to adolescents between 12 and 15 years old – however still subject to the health pass.
Hiccups and controversies
Started on December 29 in committee at the Assembly, the marathon of this twelfth health emergency text since March 2020 has been strewn with hiccups and controversies.
The bill which was initially to be implemented from January 15, to deal with the outbreak of the omicron variant, went into extra time before the chambers due to twists and turns such as the surprise suspension of the debates on the first evening or a bronca opposition after the words of Emmanuel Macron on the non-vaccinated.
Read alsoOmicron: the hope of finally emerging from the pandemic
Thursday, when an agreement on this text seemed close, the joint committee of deputies and senators flipped over after a tweet from the boss of senators LR Bruno Retailleau claiming a victory when the discussions were not over.
