Overview
- The French Parliament voted to abrogate the Code Noir and the main colonial texts that regulated slavery in a final Senate vote on Tuesday, October 20, 2026.
- Lawmakers and ministers framed the move as symbolic because the 17th‑ and 18th‑century edicts became legally void after the 1848 abolition but had never been formally removed from the legal corpus.
- The new law requires the government to produce a report mapping the legacy of colonial law and to review how slavery is taught in school curricula.
- The measure won broad political support and presidential backing but drew criticism for leaving reparations out, for not naming specific Indian Ocean texts, and for an abstention from the Senate Communist group.
- Debate over the vote echoes a longer history in which the state compensated former slave owners after abolition and highlights that further political decisions will be needed to address material redress and ongoing inequalities in overseas territories.