Towards final adoption in the Assembly after two weeks of controversy

This is the epilogue of two turbulent weeks: Parliament must adopt on Sunday, by a final vote of the Assembly, the controversial bill establishing the vaccination pass, which the government wants to see come into force as soon as possible in the face of the ” tidal wave” of the Covid-19. After demonstrations of “antivax” or anti-pass less followed on Saturday, the final reading of this text “reinforcing the tools for managing the health crisis” is scheduled at the Palais Bourbon at 4 p.m. The Minister of Health Olivier Véran will not be, being himself affected by the virus.

In addition to the majority, some of the LR and PS deputies voted in favor, at first reading last week. The left of the left and the elected RNs had voted against. With some adjustments, the Senate dominated by the right voted Saturday evening a second time in favor of this pass which will succeed the health pass, but it is the deputies who have the last word.

A pass reserved for over 16s

While some 300,000 contaminations have been recorded daily on average for a week, the government hopes for the implementation of the vaccination pass around January 20, after possible appeals to the Constitutional Council. It will then be necessary to be able to justify a vaccination status to access leisure activities, restaurants and bars, fairs or interregional public transport. A negative test will no longer suffice, except to access health facilities and services.

Main contribution of the parliamentary debate, thanks to the Senate: the new pass will only apply to people from the age of 16, the age of “vaccination freedom” against Covid-19, that is to say where it does not there is no need for parental consent. Minors aged 12 to 15 will remain subject to the obligation to present the current health pass.

Troubled debates in the Assembly

For this twelfth health text in two years, a simple week of examination was initially scheduled, for a desired application from January 15. The time finally doubled, between hiccups, controversies and repeated twists, culminating in the declarations of Emmanuel Macron, decided to “piss off” the non-vaccinated. For the second time under the Fifth Republic between Christmas and New Year, the Assembly’s law commission had met to study this text presented urgently in the face of the Omicron wave. The context was heavy, against a backdrop of renewed threats and violence against parliamentarians, often from “anti-vax”.

A long night in plenary session was then scheduled for Monday, January 3, but it was cut short due to a vote at midnight where the majority found itself in the minority. The calendar continued to derail the following day, after the controversial remarks of Emmanuel Macron which reignited the fire in the hemicycle. After an intervention by Jean Castex before the deputies, the bill was finally validated at first reading on Thursday January 6 in the early morning, in a vote marked by the division of the right.

Senate-Assembly tussle

The debates were calmer in a Senate dominated by the right, which nevertheless took the opportunity to make substantial changes to the text: application of the pass over time, to minors, identity checks by cafeterias and restaurateurs… But an agreement deputies -senators still seemed possible, before thata tweet from the boss of the LR senators Bruno Retailleau, claiming a “victory of common sense” of his people, does not set fire to the powder.

The president of the law commission Yaël Braun-Pivet (LREM) denounced “an intolerable attack on the institutions”, the rapporteur LR of the Senate Philippe Bas deplored an “excessive reaction” of the majority. And while each camp accused each other of calculations with the approach of the presidential election, the bill left for a last shuttle between the two assemblies, resulting in this summons on Sunday of the deputies, where the presidential majority should impose its vision of the text.