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After a tug of war between the French government and the upper house of parliament, an agreement has finally been reached on the drafting of a climate bill that will lead the country to transition to a green economy.
It took nine hours of marathon discussions for a joint committee of senators and MPs on Monday before the two sides found common ground on the climate and resilience bill, which could now be passed as early as this week. next.
“This is an important step forward,” said Jean-René Cazeneuve, deputy for President Emmanuel Macron’s La République en Marche party, adding that the compromise had enabled the government to speed up its climate policy by six months.
Inspired by the proposals of the Citizen’s Climate Convention, the bill is a dense piece of legislation intended to help France reduce its emissions by 40% this decade.
It includes new rules governing transport, housing, energy, advertising, food and land management, although it has been heavily criticized by environmental NGOs who say it lacks ambition.
Difficult compromise
One of the toughest battles between the centrist government and right-wing senators has been the extension of low-emission zones (LEZ) banning polluting vehicles in French towns of over 150,000 inhabitants.
The compulsory weekly vegetarian menus in school canteens were also a sticking point.
“Everyone had strong positions, but we didn’t want to back down,” Cazeneuve said.
Despite their capitulation on the above issues, the senators managed to include interest-free loans for the purchase of clean vehicles for residents of the LEZ, the development of hydropower, support for biogas production and the ‘ban on the use of nitrogen fertilizers in non-agricultural areas. .
The deal marks a significant victory for the French government, which was granted a nine-month deadline this month to bring its climate policy into line with its commitments in the Paris Agreement by the Council of State, the highest administrative court in France.
Ecological Transition Minister Barbara Pompili took to Twitter to congratulate the two sides for overcoming their political differences.
“This will allow us to save precious time to act in the face of the environmental emergency,” she posted.
“We are going to bring ecology into our lives. “
EU climate review
The deal on France’s climate bill comes as the European Commission prepares to table a set of energy and climate laws aimed at facilitating the EU’s transition to a net zero economy.
The EU hopes that its ‘Fit for 55’ policies will enable it to reduce its emissions by 55% this decade and become the first carbon neutral continent in the world by 2050.
Policies will completely overhaul the way Europeans insulate their homes, manage land and waste, and produce materials such as steel and cement.
However, there is disagreement among EU members on how the cost of the measures should be shared.
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