Paris (AFP)

The Parliament definitively adopted the financial aspect of the emergency measures against the coronavirus on Friday evening, but debates dragged on in the Assembly on the other text allowing the establishment of a state of health emergency, postponing its adoption at week weekend.

By a final vote of the Senate, after a green light from the Assembly unanimously the day before, the amending finance bill was adopted by 327 votes for, zero against and 16 abstentions.

He anticipates a heavy impact of the coronavirus on the French economy - recession of 1% of GDP in 2020 and public deficit of 3.9% - and wants to be a "first step" to support businesses in difficulty.

The ministers of Bercy Bruno Le Maire and Gérald Darmanin congratulated themselves after the vote of the "spirit of concord" which prevailed.

On the other hand, it is more complicated on the second part of the emergency measures establishing a "state of health emergency". The text had been voted on the night of Thursday to Friday by the Senate, with several modifications.

The deputies gave the first green light to it in committee Friday evening, but while returning on several provisions adopted by the upper house.

And the debates having dragged on, the Parliament will have to sit during the weekend.

Prime Minister Édouard Philippe will therefore only speak on Saturday morning at 9:30 am in front of the deputies, while his speech was expected initially Friday early in the afternoon.

In hemicycles passed to virucidal, the numbers are very small, and the rules of the votes relaxed, in an atmosphere marked by gravity.

In addition to the "state of health emergency", the text authorizes the government to take by ordinances a series of measures to support the companies and acts the postponement "at the latest in June 2020" of the second round of the municipal elections.

It is on the municipal that the debates stalled. "The National Assembly and the Senate have worked together" through informal contacts between officials of the two chambers, but "some dissonances persist", said the Assembly rapporteur, Marie Guévenoux (LREM) with euphemism.

After a long discussion, the deputies of the Law Commission removed the deadline of March 31 that the Senate had set for the submission of candidates for the second round of municipal elections.

This filing would be "premature, in full containment", and while the deaths of candidates could occur, said Marie Guévenoux.

- "We pinch ourselves" -

Several parliamentarians found these lengthy discussions on municipal procedures "in the midst of a health crisis" "surreal" and "out of touch with reality". "We pinch ourselves," launched the unregistered Delphine Batho.

The commission then removed from the text the remote election of mayors elected in the first round, another provision introduced by the Senate.

Édouard Philippe announced Thursday the postponement of meetings of municipal councils to install these new mayors, based on sanitary conditions.

Other alterations were made in committee by the deputies, in particular to allow by decree to end the state of health emergency before the deadline if necessary.

The provisions concerning labor law have also been the subject of lively debate, in particular those which aim to allow employers to impose a week of paid vacation during confinement. But they were not changed in committee.

The National Assembly will have the final say on the Senate, as usual. But the disagreements between the two chambers will require the meeting of a joint joint committee (CMP) bringing together 7 deputies and 7 senators to try to find a compromise, before the Senate and Assembly do not sit again, until Sunday evening possibly.

François Pupponi (Liberties and Territories) worried about it, noting that on Thursday in session, "in the end no one respects (has) the basic sanitary rules" of distance between elected officials.

The Assembly was "an epidemic center", in the words of its president Richard Ferrand, with at least 26 cases of contamination identified including 18 deputies.

In order to avoid untimely meetings to prolong the state of health emergency, the senators planned that the device, which provides a legal framework for the confinement of the French, will be activated as soon as the emergency law comes into force, and for two months. On this point, there is majority agreement in the Assembly.

parl-chl / dlm

© 2020 AFP