After hours of discussions, heckling and disputes, the Covid-19 bill ended up being adopted, in the early morning of Wednesday, by 221 votes against 187. But it was largely amputated from its substance. initial. As an illustration of what life in the National Assembly could look like during this five-year term, opposition forces ranging from the Nupes to the RN, via the LRs, have made their voices heard, forcing the presidential majority, now relative, has declined on several points.
As the Minister of Health had pointed out at the opening of the discussions on Monday, the bill aimed at “the extinction of the legal regime of the state of health emergency” and of the “health and vaccination pass in the daily life of the French. This point is now confirmed. From August 1, the crisis management regime put in place in May 2021 will end, as planned by the presidential camp. Article 1 of the bill nevertheless specifies that the collection of health data during screening tests is maintained, due to the still fragile epidemic situation. As for the two articles concerning the modalities of parliamentary monitoring, they have been merged into one.
The concerns encountered by Macronie relate to article 2 of this bill on “monitoring and health security”. The Renaissance deputies and their allies have, in fact, come up against a fierce and grouped opposition. Tuesday evening, the article was rejected by 219 votes against 195, thus removing from the project the possibility of restoring the health pass for “extra-hexagonal” travelers, that is to say those coming from foreigner or going there. A few minutes before, it is a provision obliging minor travelers to present this pass which had been refused.
Yet not mentioned in the bill, the subject of the reintegration of caregivers who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19 has sparked lively discussions. Tuesday morning, this question had led to a skirmish between the President of the National Assembly, Yaël Braun-Pivet, and Éric Coquerel, rebellious deputy and chairman of the finance committee. While the latter had validated this amendment, the President of the National Assembly withdrew it, arguing that article 40 of the Constitution excluded any amendment involving a financial charge. The LFI deputies cried foul and even received the support of certain LR deputies, such as that of Lot, Aurélien Pradié, who denounced the government’s “taste for punishment” and called for the restoration of “concord in our society”. Shortly before 2 a.m., when the amputated text was adopted, François Braun assured that he would work to restore it in its entirety during the rest of the legislative process.
For the time being, the bill is in the hands of the Senate, which can modify it if it wishes. In this case, it will have to go through a vote in the National Assembly.
