During the second reading, the senators voted in favor of the amended draft, which differed from the one adopted earlier by the National Assembly.
"After the third sentence of the first paragraph of Article 1 of the constitution, the following sentence has been included: 'It (France) acts in the interests of preserving the environment and biological diversity, as well as against climate change, under the conditions provided for in the 2004 Environmental Charter,'" the Senate said in a statement on its website.
The lower house's version stated that France "guarantees the preservation of the environment and biological diversity," which has now been replaced by "acts in the interests." In favor of the new wording voted 210 senators, against — 127, while five others abstained.
This way, the issue of amending the constitution concerning climate can not be put up for a referendum.
In December last year, French President Emmanuel Macron announced his intention to hold a referendum on the need for constitutional amendments related to climate. At the same time, he noted that the constitutional reform must first pass through both chambers of parliament — the National Assembly and the Senate. To organize public voting, the National Assembly and the Senate needed first to adopt a new wording of the article.