The government, in favor of experimentation, is worried about a delay in adoption and warns about the jobs of EBEs, after the abandonment by senators of compulsory financing of departments.
The Senate adopted, by modifying it, the bill aimed at perpetuating the “territories with zero long-term unemployment” (TZCLD), sending the text back to the National Assembly for a second reading and opening a risk of extinction of the system at the end of 2026 if final adoption does not occur in time. During the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, the executive, which supports this experiment, expressed its concern about the lack of rapid parliamentary approval.
A text validated in principle, but rewritten
Supported by MP Stéphane Viry (Liot group), the bill was adopted on January 27, 2026 at first reading in the National Assembly, with the support of the government. Seized on Tuesday evening, the Senate could have definitively closed the adoption by voting on the text without modification, by a “conforming vote”. He chose to make changes, while validating the principles of the TZCLD, in particular by removing the compulsory financial participation of the departments, in the name of the “free administration of local authorities”.
This rewriting constitutes a setback for the executive, which must now find a place in the busy agenda of the National Assembly for a second reading. In a chamber without a clear majority, uncertainty increases over the examination timetable.
Laurent Panifous, Minister of Relations with Parliament, tried for several hours to convince the Senate to vote in accordance. He undertook to deal with the senators’ questions through regulations. The minister warned that there is “no guarantee” of completing the shuttle before the end of the year and called for providing visibility to the employees affected – more than 4,400 in 93 employment companies – whose positions could be “eliminated” in the event of legislative failure. The Socialist Group supported this position.
The senatorial majority, an alliance between the right and the center, remained inflexible, placing the responsibility on the “unpreparedness of the executive” and refusing to “give up its right to improve the system”, according to Les Républicains senator Frédérique Puissat. The latter assured that as a last resort, a new extension could be integrated “in extremis” into the finance bill in the fall, as was already done the previous year.
A device praised after ten years of experimentation
Launched in 2016, the TZCLD offers people who are far from employment permanent positions, with chosen working hours, within “employment companies” created specifically to hire them. Generally praised for its effectiveness by local elected officials, associations and parliamentarians after ten years of experimentation, the system will disappear at the end of 2026 if no sustainability law is passed. The failure of a compliant vote in the Senate extends the parliamentary shuttle and creates a hazard for a reform expected by the territories involved, with an operational risk for the EBEs if the framework is not secure before 2026.
