Paris (AFP)

The Parliament adopted definitively Thursday, by a final vote of the Senate after that of the National Assembly, the new budget of crisis facing the coronavirus and its emergency plan of 110 billion euros.

The Senate, dominated by the right-wing opposition, voted the text by 317 votes for and 15 against. Only the majority-communist CRCE group voted against.

In the Assembly, the Communists and the rebels also voted against.

At the end of the morning, deputies and senators had reached an agreement on this second draft 2020 budget rectified, after that of the end of March.

It brings to 110 billion euros the "emergency plan" announced by the government "to respond to the scale of the crisis (...) and its economic and social consequences", according to Secretary of State Olivier Dussopt .

He expects an 8% decline in GDP in 2020, a public deficit of about 9.1% of GDP and a debt of 115% of GDP.

This budget brings to 24 billion euros the credits intended for partial unemployment and provides 20 billion euros to recapitalize strategic companies in difficulty, like Air France.

It also includes aid for the most modest households (recipients of social minima) of 150 euros, plus 100 euros per child.

The general rapporteur for the budget in the Senate, Albéric de Montgolfier (LR), welcomed the fact that this text, described as "a lifeline for businesses", incorporates "many essential Senate amendments", such as the increase in the ceiling tax exemption for overtime worked by employees during a state of health emergency.

Regarding "the mobilization of insurers", the Senate has "confidence" in the negotiations initiated by the government, but the rapporteur warned that he was ready to adopt "more restrictive arrangements" in the event of failure.

The senatorial majority also again asked for charges cancellation for companies, rather than postponements, as did the chairman of the Assembly's finance committee Eric Woerth (LR).

The centrist senator Vincent Capo-Canellas "welcomed the rise in power of the devices", but judged "damage" that does not appear in the text a provision aimed at depriving companies registered in a tax haven of the benefit of the aid measures put in place by the state in the face of the coronavirus epidemic. The Minister of Economy Bruno Le Maire, however, assured that this would not be the case.

On the left, the PS voted the text because "we must act quickly to save jobs", but stressed that it was not a "blank check" in the government.

Castigating the "glaring shortcomings of this text", Pascal Savoldelli (CRCE) criticized the government for "wanting to put the lid on the adversarial debate" in the name of urgency.

The president of the RDSE group with a radical majority Jean-Marc Gabouty expressed to him a "feeling of satisfaction of the duty accomplished in front of the expectations of our fellow citizens".

"After this time, which is the urgency of the response, will come the demand for revival," promised Julien Bargeton (LREM), while Franck Menonville (Freelancers) assured that the Senate was mobilizing "to be there of the stimulus plan ".

"At the arrival of Act 3 (...), we should not be mistaken in the choices", warned Jean-François Husson (LR), stressing that the government "will have to listen to the assemblies as needed, the requests. "

© 2020 AFP