Public audiovisual: Senate adopts reform pushed by Rachida Dati

Chaotic end of session in Parliament: senators largely approved the reform of public broadcasting on second reading on Friday July 11, after debates shortened thanks to the constitutional weapon of the "blocked vote" , a choice of the government strongly contested by the left.

The text was adopted by 194 votes to 113. This vote closes the extraordinary session of Parliament, which will resume its work on September 22.

The examination of the text was cut short at the Luxembourg Palace. Faced with "obstruction" from the left, Culture Minister Rachida Dati (LR) announced Friday morning that the government was asking the Senate "to decide by a single vote on the entire text" , "in application of Article 44 paragraph 3 of the Constitution" . This very rarely used procedure allows for the acceleration of debates by organizing only a single vote, on the text and the amendments that the government chooses to retain.

The bill by Laurent Lafon (UDI) essentially provides for the creation on January 1, 2026 of a holding company, France Médias , which would oversee France Télévisions, Radio France and the Ina (National Audiovisual Institute), under the authority of a chairman and CEO.

The debates on Thursday were marked by a particular slowness, between repeated suspensions of the session, reminders of the rules, motions of preliminary rejection, invective galore... At the helm was the left, which fears that the reform will be an opportunity for a political takeover and a reduction in the public broadcasting budget .

After a two-hour suspension on Friday morning, proceedings resumed, giving left-wing groups the opportunity to protest in unison against a democratic "coup de force," in the words of former Socialist minister Laurence Rossignol. "We're talking about freedom of the press. But let's start by respecting the rights of Parliament," she thundered, recalling that the Senate had other tools at its disposal to discipline the discussions.

"You are responsible for the fact that the debate cannot take place. It is not us," retorted the text's rapporteur, Cédric Vial (LR group). Laurent Lafon, president of the culture committee, also defended the government's decision, pointing to a "clear" obstruction intended to "prevent the Senate from confirming its support" for the text.

Shortly after the session resumed in the early afternoon, the various left-wing groups renewed their criticisms of the substance and form, before leaving the room. The text was ultimately adopted by a wide margin, by 194 votes to 113. A hard-fought victory for Rachida Dati, who has been fiercely defending the reform since joining the government, in the face of hostility from the unions and a thwarted parliamentary agenda.

According to parliamentary sources, the decision to trigger the "blocked vote" had been on the table since Thursday. But, while the President of the Senate and the Minister for Relations with Parliament were inclined to let the debate proceed, "it was indeed Rachida Dati," at the forefront of the left, who "at a given moment (...) decided for everyone," according to a heavyweight.

The text is now expected to return to the National Assembly in the fall, at an unspecified date. "This forced passage through the Senate will be a Pyrrhic victory. (...) We will be mobilized from the start of the school year to block it," promised MP Aurélien Saintoul (LFI).

In the lower house, the text benefits from the support of the majority of the common base and the relative goodwill of the RN, "rather in favor of abstaining" according to its vice-president Sébastien Chenu.