The left-wing opposition had promised “a political thunderbolt”, which at the very least looks like a shock for the executive. The Senate opposed, this Thursday, March 21, the ratification of the Ceta free trade treaty between the European Union and Canada by a final vote in the hemicycle, thanks to an appropriate left-right alliance.
In an extremely tense climate, the senators rejected by 211 votes to 44 the article of the bill relating to this treaty. They confirmed this rejection a few minutes later with a final vote, with 243 votes in favor of non-ratification of the treaty.
At the initiative of the communist group and with the help of the right, the upper house displayed its divisions by rejecting this much-criticized agreement, applied provisionally since 2017 at the European level but never submitted to senators since then.
The debates heated up until the end between defenders and opponents of the treaty: multiple points of order accompanied the end of the session to prevent speeches and accelerate the pace of the examination, limited in time. An extremely rare image in an otherwise peaceful hemicycle. The centrist, Macronist groups and the group of Independents with a Horizons majority even left the chamber before the final vote, facing “a sidestepped debate”, according to Senator Claude Malhuret (Horizons). “Everything was organized for a vote against! We can’t even speak anymore,” protested the leader of the centrists Hervé Marseille (UDI), in the middle of an open crisis with the right, his historic partner in the Senate.
“A crude maneuver”
Republican leader Bruno Retailleau denounced “a clear desire for obstruction” from the presidential camp to prevent the vote from taking place in the four hours reserved for the parliamentary “niche” of communist senators, who had chosen to put this government text on the agenda. It is a “democratic victory,” said communist senator Fabien Gay, calling on the government to continue the parliamentary shuttle.
The Minister for Foreign Trade Franck Riester denounced “a crude maneuver, an unacceptable manipulation with serious consequences for our country” and “a disastrous signal” for Canada.
Ceta, which notably eliminates customs duties on 98% of products traded between the European Union and Canada, is strongly criticized, in particular by French breeders who report meat imports at cost prices much lower than theirs and with less strict methods than those to which they are subject.
The senatorial refusal is far from trivial because it could lead to a new examination by the National Assembly, again with a serious risk of rejection. The communist deputies announced this afternoon that they would include this text in their reserved parliamentary time – their “niche” – scheduled for May 30. However, if a national Parliament declares the non-ratification of the treaty, this calls into question its provisional application across Europe, provided however that the French government notifies Brussels of its Parliament’s decision.