French Senate approves repeal of the slavery-era Code Noir

France's Senate approved a bill repealing the Code Noir, which regulated slavery in French colonies. The vote completed parliamentary passage, following the National Assembly's earlier approval.

The bill received 320 votes in favour and none against. Another 18 senators abstained, while 10 did not take part in the vote. The Senate passed the text without amendments.

It provides for repealing the March 1685 royal edict on enslaved people in the American islands, along with provisions implementing, adapting or extending it to other territories.

The text also recognises that laws reducing people to movable property and organising their deportation, exploitation and abuse are inseparable from the slave trade and slavery, recognised in France as a crime against humanity under a 2001 law.

Within a year of promulgation, the government must submit a report to parliament on provisions inherited from colonial law that remain in force in overseas territories and their effects. The report must also assess teaching about slavery and propose measures to develop memorial sites and historical research.