On 23 May 2013, three senators in France’s upper parliamentary chamber presented a Bill to approve the UPC Treaty. In the accompanying speeches the senators (respectively the President of the Senate’s Economic Committee and the President and the Secretary of the Senate’s European Affairs Committee) emphasised  the importance of being the first country to approve the Treaty. As France is one of the three mandatory ratification countries (along with the UK and Germany) this move represents a small but significant step toward the implementation of the new regime in Europe.