The French government presented some 20 milestones that need to be reached on the environment and energy front by the end of the summer before more intensive discussions with local authorities can be launched in autumn.

On 10 March, France adopted its Renewable Energy Acceleration Act, amid criticism that the text was too ambiguous on several points.

At the same time, the National Assembly passed a bill that aims to revive nuclear power, though parliamentarians still need to give their final assent in May.

These two laws bring back some much-needed impetus to the government, which has drawn widespread anger recently due to its unpopular pension reform push.

The executive tried to instil a spirit of renewal and “appeasement” on Wednesday (26 April) by presenting a roadmap of these projects for the next three months.

Besides employment, purchasing power, health, and reindustrialisation, the government’s roadmap also covers the ecological transition.

“We are entering a new phase of action” and “acceleration”, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne declared in a speech presenting the roadmap.

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Energy

Firstly, the government hopes that all the texts necessary for the implementation of the renewable law will be adopted by the government within six months.

Regarding the reduction of energy consumption, the document announces a future communication campaign to be launched in mid-June, while Energy Transition Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher has already been rolling out her plan since last October to reduce France’s energy consumption by 10% by 2024.

In short, by the end of the summer, the government wants to table “the first version of an overall plan that identifies all the additional levers to be mobilised to achieve our environmental objectives”.

This means that following a planning council set to be held in June, the government will present three texts: its multi-year energy programme for the next five years, the low carbon strategy and the plan to help biodiversity.

Just before the presentation of the roadmap, the French nuclear industry association (GIFEN) said on Friday (21 April) that 60,000 to 100,000 new jobs would need to be created over the next 10 years in order to meet the government’s ambitious nuclear revival agenda, announced just over a year ago.

Biodiversity and forest fires

The government also confirmed that Météo France, the national meteorological service, will “soon” present its application to alert the population to the risk of forest fires across each department. The rollout is unofficially set for 1 June.

To combat drought, one of the key causes of summer fires, the government also presented a plan to reduce water consumption across the country. An information campaign will be carried out by the end of June, three months after President Emmanuel Macron officially presented his plan to combat drought.

The government will also send a fire prevention bill into parliamentary debate from 15 May, the document adds.

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Transport

Measures have also been taken in the field of transport.

Besides announcing that the first interministerial committee on cycling will take place in May, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne announced €100 billion would be poured into the “launch of regional metropolitan express services in ten or so territories” between now and 2040.

On aviation, the government said it would present its plans by June, focusing on supporting sustainable aviation fuels and technological innovation.

The announcement follows an agreement on Wednesday (26 April) when EU negotiators ratified new rules for green jet fuels, including a mandate to incorporate a minimum share of sustainable fuels at EU airports.

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Bringing local authorities on board

The private sector will be responsible for at least half of the efforts to be made in all these areas, Borne added.

“The decarbonisation roadmap for the major industrial sectors and the 50 most emitting sites” in France would be finalised in June, she added.

To conclude, the government also gave a foretaste of future initiatives, announcing that from September, a dialogue with local authorities will be implemented “in order to define the quantified [carbon] reduction target for each territory and the levers to achieve it”.

“I want to give the territories more room for manoeuvre to adapt the national rules to local realities”, Borne said.

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