A groundbreaking bill that allows French authorities to track illegal internet downloading and suspend services of repeat offenders received a final nod in the French Senate on Wednesday, opening the possibility of sanctions from 2010 .

In what was considered a political victory for President Nicolas Sarkozy, French lawmakers passed the bill by 189 votes to 14, a day after the lower house of parliament approved the contested bill with 296 votes.

Brussels said the bill did not violate European legislation. On May 6, the European Parliament adopted amendment 138 of revisions to the Telecom Package, a text that opposes a gradual response to illegal downloading, as prescribed by the Hadopi bill.

Explaining the decision, Viviane Reding, European commissioner in charge of matters pertaining to new technology, explained through a spokesperson: “There may be problems with the Hadopi system in terms of rights pertaining to [France], but this is for the French justice system to decide."

However, its introduction onto the statute books is likely to be delayed by at least a month, with opponents promising to challenge the law in France's top court, and further amendments needed to align the text with the existing European directives.

Under the terms of the bill, internet users who illegally download music, videos and software will receive two warnings before having their connection cut after a third offence for a period of up to one year. During that time they will have to continue paying their internet provider.

A first bid to pass the reform failed last month when too few lawmakers from Sarkozy's centre-right UMP party showed up in the national assembly, enabling the opposition to hijack the vote and inflict a rare defeat on the ruling majority.

According to FRANCE 24’s political analyst Roselyne Febvre, the bill has left few, if any, lawmakers satisfied. “Even those who voted for the bill do not completely agree with it. Many would have preferred a financial penalty, rather than a suspension of services,” she explained.

Opponents of the “Hadopi” bill, as it is known in France, have criticised the law’s double punishment and say access to the Internet should be a fundamental right.

Consumer groups also expressed fear of intrusive monitoring of online activities and warned that innocent users may be unfairly punished if hackers use their accounts to download files.

A majority of French artists, even those who position themselves on the political left, have defended the text. Among them are the filmmaker Luc Besson, and singers Vincent Delerm, Juliette Greco and Maxime LeForestier.

“This text has already experienced a dragged-out story and left its scars on both political camps,” said Febvre.