A group of major French companies have sent a letter to Prime Minister Jean Castex proposing solutions to best support Europe in its energy transition once France assumes the six month rotating EU Council presidency at the start of 2022. EURACTIV France reports.
The gas industry is committed to ensuring that by 2050, 100% of gas is renewable or decarbonised, but to achieve that, it will have to diversify, Patrick Corbin, president of the French Gas Association (AFG) said in an interview with EURACTIV France.
Plug-in hybrids and electric cars have increased in popularity in France, rising from 2.5% of all vehicles sold in 2019 to 7.5% today. The increase in sales is partly linked to the electric bonuses granted under the country's recovery plan, dubbed France Relance. EURACTIV France reports.
The government's MaPrimeRenov' scheme, which helps households make energy efficiency renovation of buildings is a "resounding success", France's ecological transition ministry said on Monday (19 July), hoping many more will apply to the scheme in 2021. EURACTIV France reports.
France expressed "reservations" about the social consequences of extending the carbon market to the building and transport sectors, a proposal put forward by the European Commission on Wednesday (14 July). EURACTIV France reports.
French MPs and Senators reached an agreement on the final version of the country's Climate and Resilience Law - an emblematic text of the presidential term that aims to support the country’s ecological transition by helping it reach its 40% emission reduction target by 2030. A final vote is expected this summer. EURACTIV France reports.
The French Association of Private Companies (AFEP) updated on Wednesday (7 July) the Ambition 4 Climate platform, which brings together the projects of 64 large companies with the aim of reaching carbon neutrality. EURACTIV France reports.
Implementation of the EU's well-established polluter pays principle – which aims to hold polluters liable for clean-up – varies across sectors and countries, and has often led to taxpayers footing a "hefty bill", said the latest report by the EU Court of Auditors. EURACTIV France reports.
The European Commission's green light for a natural gas storage aid scheme in France was welcomed by infrastructure operator Storengy, which says it will allow the transition to 100% renewable gas. EURACTIV France reports.
France's top administrative court condemned the government's failure to comply with the Paris Agreement and fight global warming on Thursday (1 July), giving it nine months to get in line with the climate objectives it signed up to. EURACTIV France reports.
While a steady decrease in greenhouse gas emissions can be observed in France over the past years, the pace of carbon cutting will need to accelerate in order to reach the country's 2030 climate goals, according to France’s High Council for Climate Change (HCC). EURACTIV France reports.
After French senators voted on the final version of the climate bill Tuesday afternoon (29 June), the country’s ecological transition ministry expressed disappointment, pointing to the text’s “numerous setbacks”. EURACTIV France reports.
Plans to extend the EU's carbon market to transport and buildings would be "politically suicidal" and risk triggering social unrest similar to the 2018 Yellow Vests movement in France, warned French MEP Pascal Canfin last week. EURACTIV France reports.
Senators adopted an amendment Friday (18 June) giving municipalities the right to veto a wind turbine project as part of the currently debated Climate and Resilience Law. EURACTIV France reports.
As EU energy ministers agreed last week to phase out gas-hydrogen blending projects, France did not adopt a clear position on the matter even if this means prolonging the bloc’s reliance on fossil fuels. EURACTIV France reports.
Former rugby player and founder of the Fair Play For Planet label Julien Pierre has launched a challenge to film himself on social networks collecting waste or cycling to the stadium as part of the #FPFP challenge.
France is eager “to get results quickly” on the EU's proposed battery regulation and would even like the implementation schedule to be brought forward by a year, which would take it to 2024, France’s ecological transition ministry told EURACTIV France.
EU lawmakers approved a report on the EU's 2030 Biodiversity Strategy on Tuesday night (8 June), calling for legally binding measures to protect nature and biodiversity. A heated debate was sparked by amendments calling for forest protection to be weakened, which were eventually rejected.
French company Veolia is demonstrating that companies can introduce recycled petroleum-based plastics (PET) plastics into their production chain and still be successful. EURACTIV France reports.
"Major changes" are needed to ensure the decarbonisation of buildings in the EU if the bloc is to make a success of its energy transition and comply with the Paris Agreement, the European Academies' Scientific Advisory Council (EASAC) said in a report published on Wednesday (2 June). EURACTIV France reports.
With just a few weeks to go before the summer holidays, the EU's environment agency (EEA) and the European Commission have presented quite satisfactory results for the bloc's bathing areas in 2020. However, some environmentalists have warned that this does not reflect "the true reality of our waters"
Sporting events should be given an environmental red card given the amount of energy they consume and waste they generate. To back the sports world in its ecological transition, athletes got together at a conference organised by the European Surfrider Foundation on Tuesday (25 May). EURACTIV France reports.
Although 90% of all goods in France are transported by road compared to the EU average of 75%, more eco-friendly alternatives, like rail and river transport, cannot fully be exploited due to the poor infrastructure currently in place.
The Paris-Nice night train - which is both cheaper and more environmentally friendly than the conventional train - reopened on Thursday with French Prime Minister Jean Castex on board. EURACTIV France reports.
