PRACTICE NOTE

Law-making in France
by Practical Law Corporate France, with thanks to Claire Debourg and Philippe Dupichot at Gide Loyrette Nouel,
Scientific council

Status: Published: 19 February 2021 | Jurisdiction: France

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An introduction to the legislative process in France. The note explains the roles of the President
of the Republic, legislature, executive, judiciary and other key bodies, and describes how different
types of legislation are made.

Scope of this note Constitution and, through their arbitration, ensure

the proper functioning of public authorities and the
This note describes the legislative process for both continuity of the French state. The President is elected
primary and secondary legislation in France. It every five years by direct popular vote.
explains, at a high level, the organs of state and their
role in making and changing laws. It also describes The role of the President is defined in articles 5 to 19 of
the different processes for enacting laws and issuing the Constitution.
regulations, as well as how France implements EU law. The President has a direct impact on the political life of
the country and plays a significant role in foreign and
domestic affairs. Unlike in some countries, it is not a
Constitution and organs of state: purely ceremonial position.
their role in law-making
In relation to making new laws, the President has
France has a written constitution (Constitution de powers to:
la Cinquième République), which forms the basis of
• Promulgate laws and require Parliament to reopen
the French legal system. An English version of the
debate on a law that has been presented for
Constitution (as well as the original version in French)
promulgation for the first time (see Final stage:
is available on Légifrance, which is the site that hosts
promulgation and publication).
official government publications (see Légifrance:
Constitution of 4 October 1958 (English edition)). For • Sign delegated legislation and regulations (see
links to further online sources, see Online resources. Ordinances (ordonnances): a form of delegated
legislation and Regulation (executive instruments)).
The Constitution provides the legal basis for the
legislative, executive and judicial governance of France • Submit certain Bills to a referendum or refer a law
through various organs of state. In its preamble, it refers or a Treaty to the Constitutional Council (Conseil
to three other fundamental texts: constitutionnel) for consideration. For information
on the Constitutional Council, see Judiciary.
• The 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the
Citizen (Déclaration des Droits de l’Homme et du Citoyen).
Government
• The Preamble to the 1946 Constitution of the Fourth
The government (gouvernement) determines and
Republic.
conducts state policy. Members of the government
• The 2004 Charter for the Environment (Charte de cannot simultaneously hold any parliamentary office.
l’environnement).
The remit of the government is set out in articles 20 to
These texts all form part of the French “constitutional 23 of the Constitution.
block” (bloc de constitutionnalité) and carry
constitutional value. The Council of Ministers (Conseil des ministres) (article 9,
Constitution) is a subset of the government, comprised
of senior government ministers. The Council of Ministers
President of the Republic is chaired by the President, who appoints the Prime
The President of the Republic (Président de la République) Minister (Premier ministre) to direct the actions of
is the head of state. They ensure compliance with the the government. The President also appoints other

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 Law-making in France

members of government on the recommendation of the • The National Assembly (Assemblée nationale).
Prime Minister. A member of the National Assembly is known as a
deputy (député). The House is elected every five years
The Prime Minister exercises legislative and regulatory by direct, universal suffrage. Its official seat is the
powers to: Palais Bourbon in Paris.
• Introduce Bills into Parliament (article 39, Constitution). • The Senate (Sénat). Senators (sénateurs) are elected
• Countersign instruments of the President, subject to indirectly, for a term of six years, by a college of
certain exceptions (article 19, Constitution). grand electors. The college of grand electors is
composed of members of Parliament and regional
• Refer disagreements between the government and municipal representatives. The Senate sits in the
and Parliament to the Constitutional Council for Luxembourg Palace in Paris. It exists to ensure the
adjudication (article 41, Constitution). representation of the territorial communities of the
• Make regulations that do not fall within the scope of Republic.
statute law (see Regulation (executive instruments)). Sittings of both Houses of Parliament are transcribed
This right may be delegated to other members of the and published in France’s Official Journal (Journal
executive.
Officiel) (see Légifrance: Débats parlementaires).
The government may ask Parliament for authorisation Parliament may also be convened, on the request of the
to enact delegated legislation, which is subject to President, in a single congress (Congrès du Parlement)
subsequent Parliamentary approval (see Ordinances instead of in separate Houses, to consider proposed
(ordonnances): a form of delegated legislation). constitutional amendments or to hear a presidential
address (see Changes to the Constitution).
Although the National Assembly and the Senate have
A twin-headed executive identical rights during the legislative procedure, if a
disagreement arises with the Senate, the Prime Minister
The Prime Minister is empowered under the
may ask the National Assembly to have the final say (see
Constitution to manage the actions of the
Subsequent parliamentary stage(s): adoption with possible
government (article 21, Constitution). However, the
shuttling, joint committee or referral to National Assembly
President typically wields significant power over
for final say). In addition, only the National Assembly can
the executive, as it is the President who appoints
call a motion of no confidence in the government (see
the Prime Minister. Therefore, the executive may
Commitment of government responsibility).
be described as being twin-headed.
The exception to this is if the party of the President Judiciary
is different from the majority party in Parliament:
this is known as “co-habitation”. In such cases, the France is a civil law system, which means it places a
Prime Minister is selected from the party with the greater emphasis on statutes as found within various
parliamentary majority. This effectively transfers codes, instead of case law. French law does not adopt
political supremacy to the Prime Minister. the general principle familiar to common law lawyers
that judgments should follow the precedent established
Co-habitation was made more unlikely by a by previously decided cases with similar facts (that is,
constitutional amendment in 2000, which the principle of stare decisis). Judges are not required to
shortened the presidential term from 7 to follow the decision of a higher court. Each case is decided
5 years. Since then, presidential elections have on an individual basis according to how it relates to the
been held one month before National Assembly codified law and how the judge chooses to interpret that
elections, making it more likely that the party of law. Consequently, judges do not create binding case
the President will be the same as the majority law, as occurs in common law countries, such as the
party in Parliament. UK. Nevertheless, a series of similar judgments of the
Cassation Court (Cour de Cassation) and the Council of
State (Conseil d’État) (the highest courts for ordinary and
administrative justice, respectively) is treated as highly
Legislature persuasive under the doctrine of jurisprudence constante.
Parliament (Parlement) exercises the legislative functions Moreover, a lower court is likely to be mindful of the
of the French state and supervises the actions of the decisions of a higher court, which can ultimately quash
government. its judgments on appeal. Therefore, legal judgments are
an important source of law.
France has a bicameral legislature, composed of:

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 Law-making in France

Constitutional Council ratify that treaty or EU law may only be given after the
Constitution has been amended.
The Constitutional Council (Conseil constitutionnel)
is the highest constitutional authority in France. It is Given its high status, the enactment of constitutional
composed of nine members: three members appointed laws requires a special procedure to be followed
by the President of the Republic, three members (article 89, Constitution) (see Changes to the
appointed by the President of the National Assembly Constitution).
and three members appointed by the President of
the Senate. Former Presidents of the Republic may Ordinary laws
also choose to sit in the Constitutional Council. The Ordinary laws are laws that deal with general legislative
appointment procedure involves the issue of an opinion, matters, as described in article 34 of the Constitution,
in accordance with the procedures of the appointing which are passed under the ordinary legislative
authority, from the constitutional law committee of each procedure and follow the parliamentary shuttle (see
House. The appointment of a candidate may be blocked Ordinary legislative procedure). Ordinary laws include,
by a three-fifths majority vote. among other things, the following sub-categories:
The Constitutional Council has the power to declare • Finance laws (lois de finances). Finance laws are
a Bill and other prospective legislative instruments used to approve the state budget. They authorise
unconstitutional. Any provisions of a Bill that are the government to collect tax and incur public
declared unconstitutional must not be promulgated expenditure for a specified period. These are ordinary
or implemented. laws, but they are adopted as institutional laws.
Finance Bills may be introduced into Parliament at
The Constitutional Council may also rule on existing the sole initiative of the government and are directly
legislative provisions, which, if found unconstitutional, deposited with the National Assembly. Finance Bills
will be repealed. The Constitutional Council may are subject to a strict timetable.
consider whether a provision that is already in force
violates the rights and freedoms guaranteed under the • Social security financing laws (lois de financement
de la sécurité sociale). A social security finance law is
Constitution, acting on a referral by the Council of State
a law to approve the social security budget and set the
or the Cassation Court. In such cases, constitutional
direction of health and social security policy. These
review is initiated by an applicant filing the question
are also ordinary laws but, like finance laws, they are
during proceedings before a court. Such cases
adopted as institutional laws.
involve applications for a priority preliminary ruling
on the issue of constitutionality (question prioritaire • Programme laws (lois de programmation). A
de constitutionnalité (QPC)) (see Conformity with the programme law is a multi-year law setting out
Constitution: role of Constitutional Council). national policy and financing for a particular area
(for example, justice or defence).
• Enabling laws (lois d’habilitation). An enabling law
Forms of legislation, regulation is used to delegate legislation to the executive (for
and guidance example, so that it can implement government policy
expeditiously). Enabling laws are also commonly
Legislation used for the purposes of transposing EU legislation
(see Ordinances (ordonnances): a form of delegated
Legislation in France may take the form of constitutional legislation and How is EU law implemented?).
laws (lois constitutionnelles), ordinary laws (lois
ordinaires), institutional laws (lois organiques) and Institutional laws
referendum laws (lois référendaires).
Institutional laws are laws whose adoption is provided
for in the Constitution to specify how public institutions
Constitutional laws
are organised and function (article 46, Constitution).
A constitutional law is a law revising the Constitution
(that is, the law modifies, repeals or supplements Following the ordinary legislative procedure, an
provisions of the Constitution). institutional law must be submitted for examination
by the Constitutional Council before its promulgation
The Constitution sits at the pinnacle of the French hierarchy (article 61, Constitution).
of norms, above all other forms of law and regulation,
including international treaties and EU law (see Hierarchy Referendum laws
of norms). Article 54 of the Constitution provides that if a
Referendum laws are not passed by Parliament but
proposed international treaty or EU law contains a clause
are submitted to a public referendum according to
contrary to the Constitution, authorisation to approve or

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 Law-making in France

the procedure in article 11 of the Constitution (see • Orders (arrêtés). These are issued by government
Referendum laws). ministers, as well as prefects and mayors, under a
delegation of powers by the Prime Minister. Orders
Ordinances (ordonnances): a form of define the scope of the law within a specific area of
responsibility.
delegated legislation
The government may seek powers from Parliament to Guidance
enact an ordinance (ordonnance) on matters that are
Executive bodies may issue non-mandatory guidance.
otherwise governed by statute (article 38, Constitution).
The principal forms of guidance that are issued by
An ordinance is issued by the Council of Ministers after
government departments to communicate with civil
consultation with the Council of State (see Judiciary).
service officials and staff are:
It must also be signed by the President (article 13,
Constitution). • Circulars (circulaires).
An ordinance is a form of delegated legislation and • Instructions (directives).
requires an enabling law to authorise it. The ordinance
Both instruments set out the principles of a policy,
only becomes law if Parliament ratifies it by the cut-off
establish operating rules for services and provide
date in the enabling law.
guidance on the application of laws and regulations.
Before its ratification by Parliament, the ordinance is
merely an executive instrument (see Hierarchy of norms). Hierarchy of norms
Once ratified, it gains statutory effect. At this point, to
the extent that it concerns matters governed by statute, The French legal system can be described as a hierarchy
it can only be modified by a law passed by Parliament. of norms. The Constitution is at the top of the hierarchy,
as it takes precedence over all other sources of law. The
Recourse to ordinances has become increasingly norms towards the bottom of the hierarchy, notably
common. This procedure is particularly useful for regulations and administrative acts, carry less weight
highly “technical” reforms. If Ordinances were than those above them. Therefore, in the event of any
not used, such reforms would take up too much of inconsistency, the constitution takes precedence over
parliamentary time and reduce the amount of time an ordinary law, which in turn takes precedence over
for more straightforward Bills. regulations and administrative acts.
The further down the hierarchy, the greater the number
Regulation (executive instruments) of legal norms, hence its pyramidal shape, as illustrated
The Constitution draws a distinction between matters below.
to be determined by legislation, and which therefore
concern Parliament, and matters governed under
regulations (règlements) issued by the government.
A finite list of legislative matters is set out in article 34
of the Constitution. All other matters fall within the
remit of the government (article 37, Constitution).
Regulations can take the form of the following types of
executive instrument:
• Decrees (décrets). These are issued by the Prime
Minister or the President. Decrees can be divided into
three categories:
–– decrees that have been deliberated in the Council of
State (décrets en Conseil d’État);
–– decrees that have been deliberated in the Council
of Ministers (décrets en Conseil des Ministres); and
​
–– simple decrees (décrets simples), which are decrees
that have not been deliberated in either the Council (To view a larger version of this diagram, right-click on it
of State or in the Council of Ministers. once and select “View image”. The image will appear in
a pop-up. To enlarge the diagram, hover over it with your
• Like regulations, decrees are signed by the President cursor (which will change to a magnifying glass) and ­
(article 13, Constitution).

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 Law-making in France

left-click once. If you wish to print the diagram, select scrutiny and discussion in the Council of Ministers.
“Print” or CTRL+P from the menu in the top right corner.) A private members’ Bill will be reviewed by the Office
of the Presidency of the National Assembly or the
Senate (whichever House is presented with the Bill)
for its admissibility to Parliament. (See Preliminary
Codification of French law and stage: preparing and review of Bills and Summary of
regulation preliminary stage.)

France uses a system of legal codification first • First parliamentary stage. The Bill is introduced to
established under the Napoleonic Code of 1804. the first House of Parliament (either the National
This code is usually referred to as the Civil Code Assembly or the Senate). It is tabled and submitted
(Code Civil). to a parliamentary committee (commission). The
committee examines the Bill and delivers its report
The Codes consolidate laws and decrees to the House, which then discusses and votes on
that relate to the same subject (for example, every clause of the Bill (see First parliamentary stage:
environmental protection) into a single text. There passage through the first House).
are now over seventy codes covering different
• Second parliamentary stage. The Bill, as amended by
legal areas, such as the Commercial Code (Code
the first House, is transmitted to the second House for
de Commerce). Most are hierarchically ordered: a
its approval. The Bill goes through a similar process in
legislative section (partie législative) precedes a the second House (see Second parliamentary stage:
regulatory section (partie réglementaire). passage through the second House).
An article of a law is indicated by the prefix “L” or • Subsequent parliamentary stage(s). If the National
“LO” for institutional laws. An article of a decree Assembly and the Senate do not approve the same
is preceded by the prefix “R”, “R*”, “D*” or “D”, text of the Bill, the Bill may undergo one or more of
depending on whether it has been deliberated: the following additional stages:
• In the Council of State. –– a second passage through both Houses of Parliament;
• In the Council of State and the Council of –– the examination of the Bill by a special Joint
Ministers. Committee of both Houses;
• In the Council of Ministers. –– a definitive ruling by the National Assembly.
• By neither the Council of State nor the Council (See Subsequent parliamentary stage(s): adoption
of Ministers (simple decrees). with possible shuttling, joint committee or referral to
The High Commission for Codification (Commission National Assembly for final say.)
supérieure de codification), chaired by the Prime • Final stage: promulgation and publication. The
Minister, is responsible for co-ordinating the new law is promulgated by the President. It is then
codification of laws and regulations. published in the Official Journal. (See Final stage:
promulgation and publication.)
Before its promulgation, a Bill that has been adopted may
be referred to the Constitutional Council to confirm that
Ordinary legislative procedure the Bill conforms to the principles of the Constitution.
The rules governing the initiation of a Bill and, in general,
the rules of parliamentary procedure, are set out in the
Constitution, as well as the Rules of Procedure established Government and private members’ Bills
for the National Assembly and the Senate (see Assemblée
Both the Prime Minister, who leads the
nationale: Règlement de l’Assemblée nationale (in French)
government, and MPs have the right to initiate
and Sénate: Règlement du Sénat (in French)).
legislation (article 39, Constitution):
Ordinary Bills can be introduced both by members of
• A government Bill (that is, a Bill that is
Parliament (MPs) (National Assembly and Senate) and initiated by the Prime Minister or by any other
by the Prime Minister, or by any other minister on behalf minister on behalf of the Prime Minister) is
of the Prime Minister. known as a legislative plan (projet de loi).
The ordinary legislative process can be broken down into • A private members’ Bill (PMB), which is
the following stages: initiated by an MP, either a deputy or a
• Preliminary stage. The Bill is prepared for submission senator, is called a legislative proposal
to Parliament. In the case of a government Bill, the (proposition de loi).
Bill will undergo policy development, pre-legislative

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 Law-making in France

Preliminary stage: preparing and Review of PMB for admissibility

reviewing the Bill One or more deputies or senators may table a PMB in
their respective Houses of Parliament by submitting it to
Before a Bill enters Parliament, it first undergoes a
the Office of the Presidency of the relevant House.
preliminary stage, the nature of which will depend on
the type of Bill. A PMB may be rejected if it is either financially or legally
inadmissible.
• Government Bill. Preparation of a government Bill
involves policy development (often including public PMBs submitted by deputies or senators are
consultation), pre-legislative scrutiny by the State financially inadmissible where their enactment would
Council and discussion in the Council of Ministers. result in either a diminution of public revenue or the
(See Pre-legislative scrutiny and discussion in Council creation or increase in public expenditure (article 40,
of Ministers (government Bill).) Constitution).
• PMB. Preparation of a PMB involves a review by the Both the government and the President of the House
office of the National Assembly or the Senate (whichever may, at any stage of the legislative process, argue that
House is presented with the PMB) for its admissibility to a PMB is legally inadmissible if they consider that it
Parliament (see Review of PMB for admissibility). does not fall within the domain of the law or that it
is in conflict with the government’s power of issuing
Pre-legislative scrutiny and discussion in Council ordinances. If the government and the President of the
of Ministers (government Bill) House disagree, either of them may refer the matter to
Before the submission of the Bill to Parliament, the the Constitutional Council. The Constitutional Council
government must consult with the State Council on must then decide the matter within eight days of the
the drafting of the initial text of the Bill. The Bill is then referral (article 41 al.2, Constitution).
discussed in the Council of Ministers (article 39 al. 2,
Constitution). Summary of preliminary stage

(​ To view a larger version of this diagram, right-click on First parliamentary stage: passage
it once and select “View image”. The image will appear
through first House
in a pop-up. To enlarge the diagram, hover over it with
your cursor (which will change to a magnifying glass) Each Bill subject to the ordinary procedure undergoes
and left-click once. If you wish to print the diagram, three stages in the House (either the National Assembly
select “Print” or CTRL+P from the menu in the top or the Senate) where it is initiated:
right corner.)

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 Law-making in France

• Tabling of the Bill in Parliament and submission to a request of either the government or the House, to a
parliamentary committee (commission) (see Tabling specially appointed ad hoc commission. The Bill can
of Bill in Parliament and submission to parliamentary also be submitted either to one commission or to a
committee). number of commissions.
• Examination of the Bill in committee (see Examination A committee spokesperson (rapporteur) is appointed
of Bill in committee (commission)). to assess the Bill and draw up a report containing
• Discussion of, and voting on, the Bill in a plenary an analysis of the text, along with suggestions. The
debate (séance publique) (see Plenary debate (séance rapporteur’s report is normally distributed to the
publique)). committee during the week preceding its consideration
of the Bill.
Tabling of Bill in Parliament and submission to The committee debates the Bill, conducts hearings
parliamentary committee and votes on the text. The committee may call for
Government Bills may be initiated in either House, hearings to obtain additional information about a text
except for: from, for example, members of government or outside
experts and specialists in the field. It makes suitable
• Finance Bills and Social Security Bills, which must
start in the National Assembly. recommendations either in favour or against the Bill. It
can also propose certain amendments.
• Bills primarily dealing with the organisation of the
territorial communities, which must start in the A final report of the committee is drawn up, which
Senate. summarises its work and proposes either the adoption of
the Bill (with or without amendments) or the rejection of
(Article 39 al. 2, Constitution.) the Bill. This report is available on the House websites.
When tabling a Bill, the government may inform
the House that it intends to apply the accelerated Plenary debate (séance publique)
procedure, which will have an impact on the timing After the committee stage, the Bill moves to a plenary
of the subsequent parliamentary stages. It may also debate involving the full House. Unless the accelerated
affect the route through which the final text of the Bill procedure is adopted or the Bill is a Finance Bill, Social
is agreed (see Subsequent parliamentary stage(s): Security Finance Bill or a Bill concerning a state of crisis,
adoption with possible shuttling, joint committee or there is a minimum period of six weeks between the
referral to National Assembly for final say). tabling of the Bill and its plenary debate.
Once registered with the Office of the Presidency, a The plenary debate begins with a general examination
notice of tabling of the Bill is reported in the Official of the Bill. This involves the rapporteur presenting
Journal and the Bill is announced at the next sitting of their findings during the committee stage. If the Bill is
the House. a government Bill, the relevant government minister
may also make a presentation. Members of the House
The Bill is then printed, distributed and referred for
can raise motions relating to the Bill. There is a detailed
consideration to the relevant standing committee of the
examination of the Bill, where each article is scrutinised
House unless an ad hoc committee has been set up.
and amendments may be proposed. Following the Bill’s
A government Bill must be accompanied by an impact detailed examination, members of the House (deputies
assessment (étude d’impact) (article 8, Institutional Law or senators) can give time-limited speeches.
no 2009-403 of 15 April 2009).
After voting on individual amendments proposed
during the debate, a vote on the Bill as a whole (vote sur
Pre-committee stage scrutiny of PMBs
l’ensemble) is held. If the Bill is approved (with or without
The President of either House of Parliament may submit amendments), it is transmitted to the second House
a PMB that has been tabled by an MP for consideration (that is, the Senate if the Bill started in the National
by the Council of State before it enters the committee Assembly and vice versa).
stage, unless the deputy or senator who tabled the PMB
disagrees (article 39 al. 5, Constitution).
Second parliamentary stage: passage
Examination of Bill in committee (commission) through the second House
The first examination of the Bill (either a government The Bill goes through the same process in the second
Bill or PMB) in Parliament takes place in a standing or House as it did in the first House: tabling, examination
ad hoc committee of the House. The Bill is submitted in committee and a plenary session, including a vote
either to one of the six regular commissions or, at the on the Bill as a whole. However, the minimum period

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 Law-making in France

between the tabling of the Bill and its plenary debate

is reduced to four weeks (as opposed to six weeks in
Conformity with the Constitution:
the first House), unless an accelerated procedure has
been adopted or the Bill is a Finance Bill, Social Security role of Constitutional Council
Finance Bill or a Bill concerning a state of crisis. Before institutional laws can be promulgated,
they must be referred to the Constitutional
Subsequent parliamentary stage(s): Council for a ruling on their conformity with
adoption with possible shuttling, the Constitution (article 61 al. 1, Constitution).
This consultation requirement also applies to
joint committee or referral to National referendum Bills (see Referendum laws) before
Assembly for final say they are submitted to referendum and changes
Once a Bill has passed through both Houses of to the Rules of Procedure for the Houses of
Parliament, there are two possible outcomes: Parliament before they come into force.

• Both Houses may agree on the same version of the In addition, ordinary Bills or certain provisions
Bill, in which case the Bill can be submitted to the of ordinary Bills may be referred to the
President for promulgation. Constitutional Council before promulgation
if they raise constitutional questions. A
• The National Assembly and Senate may adopt the Bill
referral may be made by the President of the
on different terms.
Republic, the Prime Minister, the President of
In the latter case, and provided the Bill is not subject to the National Assembly, the President of the
an accelerated procedure, it will be sent back to the first Senate, 60 deputies or 60 senators (article 61
House for the first and second parliamentary stages to al. 2, Constitution).
be repeated.
The Constitutional Council checks that the
Alternatively, the Prime Minister or the President of procedural requirements regarding the drafting
either House may convene a joint committee of both of the Bill, its adoption, and the conditions for
Houses (commission mixte paritaire), comprised of seven exercising any rights of amendment have been
deputies and seven senators, to agree on the final Bill met. It also reviews the Bill for conformity with
text if either of the following conditions apply: the Constitution and to the constitutional values
stemming from the fundamental principles
• The accelerated procedure has been adopted.
identified by the laws of the Republic, the 1789
• The National Assembly and the Senate again have Rights of Man and of the Citizen, the preamble
failed to adopt the Bill on the same terms. of the Constitution of the Fourth Republic
The joint committee is entrusted with the task of (27 October 1946) and the 2004 Charter for
reaching a compromise on the clauses on which the Environment.
agreement has not been reached. The Constitutional Council must normally deliver
If this mediation procedure fails to produce a compromise, its ruling within one month. However, this time
the government can proceed to a new reading in each limit is reduced to eight days for urgent matters
House and then ask the National Assembly to vote on the (article 61 al. 3, Constitution).
text as presented at its final reading. However, this situation The Constitutional Council can declare a
has only arisen for about 10% of laws introduced since 1958 law totally or partially non-compliant. The
(the year of the creation of France’s Fifth Republic). provisions of a law declared unconstitutional
are inapplicable. Another possibility for the
Final stage: promulgation and Council is to declare a legislative provision in
publication conformity with the Constitution, subject to
its interpretation (that is, its guidance on the
Once the Bill has been approved, it is sent to the general interpretation of the law, outside which the
secretariat of the government, which presents it to the Constitution would not be respected).
President of the Republic for signature. The President
may remand the Bill for further deliberation. Otherwise, A constitutional revision on 23 July 2008 also
the President must promulgate the law within fifteen recognised the right for any person who is
days and publish it in the Official Journal. This time period involved in legal proceedings before a court
is suspended if the Bill or certain provisions of the Bill are to argue that a statutory provision infringes
submitted for review by the Constitutional Council.

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 Law-making in France

(​ To view a larger version of this diagram, right-click on it

the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the once and select “View image”. The image will appear in
Constitution (Article 61-1, Constitution). If, during a pop-up. To enlarge the diagram, hover over it with your
proceedings in progress before a court, it is cursor (which will change to a magnifying glass) and
considered that the application of a statutory left-click once. If you wish to print the diagram, select
provision infringes the rights and freedoms “Print” or CTRL+P from the menu in the top right corner.
guaranteed by the Constitution, a referral may For a PDF version of this flowchart, see Flowchart, The
be made to the Constitutional Council by the ordinary legislative procedure in France.)
Council of State or by the Cassation Court
for a Priority Preliminary Ruling on the Issue Special adoption procedures
of Constitutionality (question prioritaire de
constitutionalité). The Constitutional Council In addition to the ordinary legislative procedure, the
must render its ruling on the admissibility of the following special adoption procedures exist:
request within three months. • Simplified examination procedure (procédure
Once conditions of admissibility have been d’examen simplifiée) (see Simplified examination
complied with, the Constitutional Council procedure).
renders its ruling and, if need be, repeals the • Blocked vote (vote bloqué) (see Blocked vote).
challenged statutory provision. Prior to this
• Commitment of government responsibility
reform, it was impossible to challenge the
(engagement de responsabilité du gouvernement)
constitutionality of a statute which had come
(see Commitment of government responsibility).
into force.

Simplified examination procedure

For Bills that have broad political agreement (for
example, the ratification of an international treaty), a
Summary of ordinary legislative simplified examination procedure may be adopted for
procedure the plenary debate. Where this is the case:

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 Law-making in France

• There is no general discussion of the Bill or speeches addition, this procedure has the effect of immediately
on articles. suspending the discussion of the relevant Bill.
• Members only vote on articles for which amendments
have been proposed. Changes to the Constitution
• There are restrictions on who can make speeches on Either the President, on the recommendation of
the Bill. the Prime Minister, or a member of either House of
• If no amendments are put forward, the entire Bill is Parliament, can initiate a Bill proposing an amendment
immediately put to the vote. to the Constitution (article 89 al.1, Constitution).
If the Bill is proposed by the President, it is known
Blocked vote as a “constitutional government Bill” (projet de loi
Under the blocked vote procedure, the government can constitutionnelle). A constitutional Bill initiated
require the House considering a Bill to proceed to a single by an MP is known as a “constitutional private
vote on all or part of the text under debate, retaining only members’ Bill” (proposition de loi constitutionnelle).
the amendments proposed or accepted by the government Unlike a standard government Bill, a constitutional
(article 44 al.3, Constitution). This means that votes on government Bill does not need to be accompanied by
individual articles and amendments not supported by the an impact assessment.
government can be suppressed (”blocked”), although they The process for passing a constitutional Bill is broadly
may still be debated in the House. similar to the ordinary legislative procedure but has
The government can choose when to adopt this some important differences. These are as follows:
procedure. It can also determine the text subject to the • A constitutional Bill must be passed by both
single vote, which may be the whole Bill or one or more Houses of Parliament and the government may not
specified articles. refer the Bill to the National Assembly for a final
determination. This means that the Bill may shuttle
Commitment of government back and forth between both Houses until agreement
is reached.
responsibility
• Before a constitutional Bill can be promulgated, the
The Prime Minister is empowered under article 49 al. 3
President of the Republic must either:
of the Constitution to make certain Bills in the National
Assembly a matter of government responsibility. –– submit it to a referendum; or
This means that the Bill will be deemed to have been –– submit it for approval to a specially convened
adopted on the engagement of this procedure by the Congress of Parliament (Congrès du Parlement).
government, unless a motion of no confidence (motion A Congress of Parliament takes place at the Palace
de censure) tabled within 24 hours is passed by the of Versailles and brings together members of both
National Assembly. For a motion of no confidence to Houses of Parliament. If a Congress of Parliament
pass, it must be signed by at least 10% of the members is convened, a supermajority of three-fifths of the
of the National Assembly and secure a majority of the votes cast is required to amend the Constitution.
votes cast by the members of the National Assembly
(article 49 al. 2 and 3, Constitution).
Referendum laws
As this procedure is intended for exceptional
circumstances to avoid parliamentary deadlock, the The Constitution provides that, on certain issues, a Bill
Prime Minister may only use it for: may be put to a referendum by the President either on
the recommendation of the government or on a joint
• A Finance Bill. motion of both Houses of Parliament. The latter type of
• A Social Security Financing Bill. Bill (a private members’ referendum Bill proposed by
parliamentarians) requires the support of at least one-
• One other government Bill or PMB in any given fifth of the MPs supported by one-tenth of the voters
parliamentary session.
registered on the electoral lists.
This procedure can only be adopted in the National
The only issues that may be put to a referendum are
Assembly. Unlike the block vote, it cannot be used in the
Bills concerning:
Senate, where the government does not have authority.
• The organisation of public authorities.
As is the case with the block vote procedure, the
government may choose when to apply this procedure • Reforms relating to the economic, social or
and the content of the Bill covered by the motion. In environmental policy of the state.

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 Law-making in France

• Public services contributing to economic, social or member states. Implementing measures must be
environmental affairs of the state. passed at national level to bring the domestic laws and
regulations in line with the requirements of EU law.
• The ratification of a treaty that would affect the
functioning of French institutions. In France, the transposition of EU law is achieved
(Article 11 al. 1 and 3, Constitution.) through different types of legislative and regulatory
instruments, depending on the subject matter,
The process for enacting referendum laws is governed importance and volume of the provisions to be
in accordance with Book VI ter of the Legislative Section transposed. The usual separation of powers between
of the Electoral Code (Code électoral), which reflects the Parliament and the government applies, so that
institutional and ordinary laws that have been passed to transposition may require the use of legislation (laws or
implement article 11 of the Constitution. ordinances) or regulation (decrees or orders), or both.
All referendum Bills, whether initiated by the government The usual rules regarding initiation and formulation
or by MPs, must be submitted to the Constitutional of these instruments apply equally to legislation or
Council for a prior constitutional review (see Conformity regulation transposing EU law. If a law is proposed, as
with the Constitution: role of Constitutional Council). with all government Bills, an impact assessment must
accompany the submission of the Bill to each House of
In addition, a private members’ referendum Bill must Parliament. The impact assessment may incorporate a
have the support of at least one-tenth of voters enrolled reconciliation table (tableau de concordance), describing
on the electoral roll (article 11 al. 3, Constitution). how the EU measures have been transposed.
Therefore, once the Constitutional Council has
checked the Bill’s purpose and its conformity with the Each government department is responsible for preparing
Constitution, a consultation process begins. Citizens the transposition of directives relevant to their area of
can express their support for the proposed referendum government. European co-ordination within the French
by electronic vote. An independent commission government is overseen by the General Secretariat
oversees the process and submits its observations to for European Affairs (Sécretariat general des affaires
the Constitutional Council, which determines whether européennes (SGAE)). Among other things, the SGAE
the Bill is admissible. transmits texts of new European instruments to the lead
department and other relevant government departments,
Even if a private members’ referendum Bill is held co-ordinates cross-departmental meetings and notifies
to be admissible, it is not necessarily the case that a the European Commission when the transposition
referendum will be called, although there will often instrument has been passed.
be significant political pressure to do so. However, the
President must call a referendum if the Bill has not been To find the legal instruments that have been adopted in
scrutinised by both Houses of Parliament within six France to transpose an EU directive, you can search the
months of the publication of the Constitutional Council’s EUR-lex database:
determination in the Official Journal. • Find the legal act in question on the EUR-lex database
(see EUR-lex: Access to European Union law).
If a referendum (on either a government or PMB) is held
and the Bill achieves a majority, the President must • Note down the CELEX number of the EU law in
promulgate the law within fifteen days of announcing question (for example, 32013L0034).
the result (article 11 al. 5, Constitution).
• Replace the first digit with the number 7 (for example,
If a PMB is rejected in a referendum, another Bill 32013L0034 becomes 72013L0034).
on the same subject may not be put to a new • Add FRA (the country code for France) and an asterisk
referendum before the expiry of two years (article 11 at the end (for example, 72013L0034FRA*) and re-run
al. 4, Constitution). This restriction does not apply to the database search.
referendum Bills proposed by the government.

Online resources
How is EU law implemented?
For more information on the French legislative process,
EU law with direct applicability under Article 288 of the see:
Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, such
as EU regulations, does not require an intermediate • Légifrance (official legislation portal). A database of
implementing step to give it legal force in France. all laws and regulations in force in France. Contains
links to English language versions of certain texts,
Other forms of EU law, such as EU directives, set down including the Constitution. It is maintained by the
certain results that must be achieved and establish General Secretariat of the Government (Secrétariat
the time limit for their implementation in individual général du gouvernement).

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 Law-making in France

• National Assembly website (English language • French government website (English language
version). Contains information on the lower House of version). Contains, among other things, government
Parliament. The Rules of Procedure of the National press releases, consultations and information about
Assembly, as well as Bills and information about the current government policies, some of which have been
status of Bills, are available to download. translated into English.
• Senate website (English language version). Contains • Service-public.fr. A database which is a central point
information on the upper House of Parliament. The of entry for all administrative procedures. It is the
Rules of Procedure of the Senate, as well as Bills and most popular government website.
information about the status of Bills, are available to
download.

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