the Senate votes on a significantly modified text

The Senate dominated by the right-wing opposition voted at first reading, on the night of Wednesday 12 to Thursday 13 January, a significantly revised version of the bill establishing the vaccination pass. The text was adopted by 249 votes in favor and 63 against, at the end of two long days of peaceful debates, contrasting with the agitated climate which had surrounded its adoption in the National Assembly.

Among the changes made to the text by the Senate, despite opposition from the executive: the establishment of a threshold of 10,000 hospitalized patients in connection with Covid-19 at the national level, below which the vaccine pass automatically disappears; the elimination of the possibility of verifying the identity of the pass holder by the owners of bars, cafes and restaurants; the removal of administrative sanctions against companies that do not play the telecommuting game or do not apply health protocols. Senators also limited the vaccination pass for over 18s, minors 12 to 17 years old remaining subject to the health pass.

Deputies and senators will meet at the Palais Bourbon, Thursday, January 13 at the beginning of the afternoon, to try to agree on a common version of the text in a joint committee (CMP). In the event of an agreement, it will be submitted for final adoption to the vote of the Senate on Thursday, then of the Assembly on Friday. If the CMP fails, the bill will be re-read in both chambers, with the Assembly having the last word.