A petition started by Eleonore Pattery, a university student from Bordeaux focused on environmental regulations, demands the repeal of the text, labeling it as “a scientific, ethical, environmental and health aberration.”
As of Saturday, the petition has surpassed 500,000 signatures. Once this threshold is crossed, heads of parliamentary groups or committees may propose a parliamentary debate on the issue.
Aurélie Trouvé, president of the National Assembly’s economic affairs committee and a member of the France Unbowed party, indicated plans to present the proposal in the fall.
“This is a first in the history of the National Assembly,” an ecstatic Trouvé shared with POLITICO over a phone call on Saturday.
However, before the debate can proceed, the proposal must receive approval from the National Assembly’s Conference of Presidents, a body of key lawmakers including leaders of permanent parliamentary committees like Trouvé. This conference is scheduled to reconvene on September 12.
Trouvé expressed hope for the debate’s occurrence, cautioning that disregarding the petition would represent “democratic denial.”
Although the text cannot be repealed in the parliamentary debate, the petition’s success is a setback for the government and agricultural lobbyists who symbolically support the measure.
Simultaneously, France’s Constitutional Council is reviewing the text and may strike out sections deemed unconstitutional.
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