Topic analysis

France moves to symbolically repeal slavery legislation

In May 2026, the lower house of the French parliament unanimously voted to formally repeal the 'Code Noir' (Black Code), a series of 17th and 18th century slavery-era royal edicts that were never officially abrogated when France abolished slavery in 1848. The symbolic bill, expected to easily pass the Senate, will require the French government to report on the lasting impacts of colonial slavery on modern French society, while debates over formal reparations for historical slavery remain ongoing.