The Senate panel reviewing a bill that would introduce uniform packaging for cigarettes removed the plain-pack requirement, calling instead for large health warnings, France24 reported.

The Senate social affairs committee recommended adoption of larger health warnings in line with European Union requirements that must be implemented by May, 2016. Hundreds of tobacconists protested before the Senate as the panel debated the measure, France 24 said.
However the National Assembly, which approved plain packs in April, has the final authority, according to France24. The lower house will take up the bill again in September, according to the news service.