The bill was presented by the French Ministry of Higher Education Valérie Pécresse and was officially voted on 11 August 2007 by the Parliament.
The bill was rapidly voted by the Parliament in July 2007, and definitively adopted on 1 August 2007, less than three months after Nicolas Sarkozy's election.
University Reforms had been promised by French President Nicolas Sarkozy before the 2007 Presidential Elections.
Prime Minister François Fillon announced the reform would be the most important of his term in office.
She said the bill on university autonomy would be voted in July by Parliament, during an extraordinary session, while the other reforms would follow in the next months.
At the end of June, he met and discussed the bill with presidents of universities, then with representatives of researchers, then of teachers, and finally student organizations (mainly UNEF and UNI), along with François Fillon and Valérie Pécresse.
The student organizations (mainly UNEF) said the government had retained the lessons from the CPE discontentment.
Nicolas Sarkozy, François Fillon and Valérie Pécresse declared they were ready to grant some points to the representatives.
The Socialist Party said that while if they agreed to reform the higher education system, the management of universities was not a priority, and that the bill was unadapted to the needs.
As the government chose to use the urgency procedure to pass the bill, only one vote was permitted for each house of the parliament.
The bill attempt at introducing greater freedom and responsibility for institutions of higher learning showed positive advances, as well as negative aspects.
Students of the three Toulouse universities call for a general mobilization to demand the removal of the Pécresse law.
Valerie Pécresse declared these movements were unjustified, arguing the state would remain implicated in the funding of universities.
Students organizations declared the new management of universities would make non-profitable studies disappear.
On 9 November, demonstrations took place in Paris, Rennes, Toulouse and Perpignan, with clashes with police.
Students organizations (UNEF, UNI, Cé, Fade) met with Valerie Pécresse, without outcome.
On 26 November, François Fillon promised to increase the budget dedicated to universities in the next years to satisfy the students.
On 27 November, while various demonstrations took place in France, with 30.000 participants, discussions were held between students organizations and Valérie Pécresse.