President Jacques Chirac sought today to draw a line under his climb-down over a hated youth labour contract, telling students it was time to end remaining blockades of universities and get back to class.
But in an early sign his government has been weakened by two months of strikes and sometimes violent protests, it announced that it would delay controversial planned legislation to follow other countries in banning smoking in public places.
President Jacques Chirac has called on students to end blockades
Ecstatic after Mr Chirac's announcement today that he would scrap an "easy hire, easy fire" flexible labour contract for the under-26s, some students have called for new protests to target existing labour laws they see as unfair.
Students blockaded four universities today while protests disrupted classes at a further 17, the education ministry said. Forty-one other universities were functioning normally while the rest were closed for holidays, it said.
"All young people must be able to return to class and prepare for their exams," Mr Chirac told a cabinet meeting, according to a government spokesman.
Mr Chirac said he had scrapped the First Job Contract (CPE) championed by Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin "to end a situation of blockade ... and for the sake of peace and order", the spokesman added.
The government's humiliating defeat in the stand-off with students and unions has raised questions over the political survival of Mr Villepin and has all but destroyed the chances of the close Chirac ally running for president in 2007 elections.
That is seen leaving the path clear for Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, whose relations with Mr Chirac are uneasy, to emerge as the right's main presidential candidate against a French left which has taken new heart at the government's woes.
Ruling conservatives sped legislation through the lower house of parliament today to replace the CPE with cash incentives for employers to take on young workers. It was not clear whether final upper house approval would come by the end of the week or early May after the Easter parliamentary break.
The government signalled today a more cautious line on plans to ban smoking in public, with Mr Villepin launching a months-long consultation on a move that could have bar-owners up in arms and anger France's millions of smokers.