The French Climate and Resilience Law (cepInput)
The European Union wants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent compared to 1990 by the end of this decade. Just one day before the EU climate package "Fit for 55" was published, France passed its own climate law. This also provides for a reduction of emissions, but only by 40 percent.
cepInput
"The French targets fall far short of those of the EU. This makes France's climate law seem backward before it is even applied," criticise academics from the Centrum für Europäische Politik (cep) in Paris.
According to cep, the timing for the French climate law was "most unfortunate". While the Brussels’ law was presented on 14 July 2021, Paris presented the French law just one day earlier. “Already before the EU published its climate package, the French government should have been aware of the fact that it should never have passed a climate law that was outdated by reality," the cep experts criticised.
France took over the Council Presidency in January and thus a key role for the EU climate package. "Therefore, it will be central for France to be among the Member States that support Brussels' targets. Paris should quickly correct its national climate targets," the authors demand.
France continues to rely on the expansion of nuclear power to reduce greenhouse gases. Currently, the country operates 56 nuclear power plants. In addition to natural gas, the Commission also wants to include nuclear power in the so-called green taxonomy and thus declare it environmentally friendly. "Although the construction of additional French nuclear power plants now officially receives Brussels' blessing, France is setting its own climate targets below the targeted EU average. This is a political disaster," the French lawyers criticise.
|