French Lawmakers Approve Welfare Bill in Win for Government

The result of the vote on the Social Security financing bill for 2026 (PLFSS) displayed on a screen at the National Assembly in Paris on Dec. 9.Photographer: Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Images

France’s National Assembly adopted a social security bill for next year, avoiding a potential government crisis and making it more likely lawmakers will pass a new budget by year-end.

In the second reading in the lower house, 247 lawmakers voted for the legislation and 234 against, which would suspend French President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform in a concession to the Socialist Party.