Public broadcasting reform: debates bogged down in the Senate before the parliamentary recess, Dati in the crosshairs
By The New Obs with AFP
Rachida Dati on the Senate benches, during the debates on the reform of public broadcasting and audiovisual sovereignty, July 10, 2025. STEPHANE LEMOUTON/SIPA
The reform of public broadcasting is bogged down in the Senate: the left, hostile to the project supported by Rachida Dati , has undertaken to slow down the examination of this text, targeting the "forced passage" of the minister while parliamentary work is to be suspended this Friday evening, July 11 for the summer.
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Repeated suspensions of the session, points of order, motions for preliminary rejection, invective galore... In addition to eight hours of debate in the upper house, where the atmosphere is usually much more civilized, the senators have barely begun examining the first article of this proposed law, which aims to bring together France Télévisions, Radio France, France Médias Monde and the INA into a single holding company.
The three left-wing groups have indeed used numerous points of the Senate's rules, causing a significant slowdown in the debates at the second reading. They are outraged that the government hastily put this text on the Senate agenda at the last minute, after its rejection in the National Assembly at the end of June . "This forced passage does not allow us to examine this text in good conditions," fulminated Socialist Senator Sylvie Robert. "Public broadcasting has a future. It should not be sacrificed by the government's charade," continued the leader of the Communist senators, Cécile Cukierman.
This acceleration of the timetable could allow the executive to calmly consider adoption of the text in the upper house, where it is supported by the right/centre majority, or even final adoption in the autumn, after a new passage before the deputies.
"Obstruction"But with 300 more amendments to be examined this Friday, there may not be enough time for debate to complete the debate before the weekend... Unless the government or supporters of the reform use certain constitutional or legislative weapons at their disposal to speed up the discussion, something several parliamentary sources have hinted at.
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