Agreement on working time: France switches to the majority
23h ... That's it. A high-ranking diplomat who appears in the press room, smiling. "Don't go to bed. There's an agreement. We're going to reread the latest version of the compromise. And then there's a press conference with the presidency. It's only a matter of minutes now." The terms will be known later. But we breathe... Since 18 p.m. and the distribution of a compromise proposal, uncertainty reigned, some ministers left (the Luxembourg airport closes at 23 p.m.). For those who stay, it's the choice between the bar, the hotel or work in the delegation room. A series of bilaterals - essentially between the British and the club of 6, but also with the presidency and the Commission - made it possible to unblock the knot bag... (and incidentally to hold out until midnight).
0h - the public debate (originally scheduled for 15:30 p.m.!) takes place, it's fast. The club of "Social lovers" has been reduced to five (Spain, Belgium, Hungary, Greece, Cyprus) joined by Portugal. They continue to oppose the directive. But decided to do it in the softest possible way: by abstaining (which has the same legal significance as the opposition but has another political weight, it avoids crystallizing the oppositions). They nevertheless make a statement asking the European Parliament to amend the text... The fight continues! Malta also abstains, but for opposite reasons.
Luxembourg, Italy, Slovenia but above all France, in fact, voted in favor of the directive and swung the majority. The presidency only has to see that the account is there, except for a few hairs... which are French. The text is approved. As for the text on temporary work, it was voted almost unanimously (abstention from Malta and Belgium). "It's the longest lunch in history" says the Dutch minister humorously.
