Filed under: Etc., Legislation and Policy, Green Daily
France goes green with Sarkozy's announcement
France's flag is no longer red, white and blue, it's green. President Nicolas Sarkozy has announced a set of measures to make the country advance towards sustainable development. The initiatives were announced after the conclusion of the Grenelle de l'environment negotiations. The Grenelle (a word that comes from the students' revolution in Paris in May '68) was a set of conversations among government, industry, environmental groups and unions.In a few words: France is going to tax fossil fuels and will promote energy saving, increased railway transport, a halt in the construction of new highways, the development of renewable energies (without stopping nuclear power, something that will become "transparent") and changes in the Penal Code to punish harder for all kinds of environmental crimes and products.
All fossil fuels will have a new "carbon tax." In order to ease the burden for companies, other taxes will in some cases be reduced.
During the official announcement, Sarkozy was supported by Al Gore and José Durao Barrosso (the EU Comission President).
[Source: Le Monde (Read link is in French)]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Dave 11:00AM (10/27/2007)
This is a milestone in French history...they did smoething right.
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rgseidl 5:47PM (10/27/2007)
Good news on hte face of it, but with the French, you do have to look at the fine print. Like every other EU country short on domestic supplies, France has of course taxed fossil fuels quite heavily for decades. It just wasn't called a carbon tax. If the net cost of energy is increased and other taxes cut to compensate, that is an important incremental step in the right direction. Note that EU member states have retained nominal tax sovereignty but that there is a floor rate for motor fuels. Overly aggressive moves prompt motorists and especially, truck drivers, to take detours to countries like next-door neighbor Luxembourg where fuel taxes are fairly low.
Due to the heavy investment in nuclear power, coal is not a major factor in France. Natural gas is also much less important than in say, Germany, the UK or Italy. This sharply reduces the political risk inherent in introducing a blanket carbon tax. It also makes nuclear technology look more attractive and, France would dearly like to export more of it. This glosses over the fact that the country hasn't got a permanent solution for the waste, either.
Beefing up rail transportation is also an EU project that France - a major transit country - will benefit from thanks to its TGV and other technologies.
Cracking down on gross polluters is yet another EU mandate, so France is really just stepping up to the plate on law enforcement. That is good news, because some of its mining activities have been fouling European rivers for a long time.
Bottom line: the announcement is to some extent just window-dressing and better compliance with existing EU laws and initiatives. The big question will be how hard the new carbon tax will bite. My guess is, not very - Sarkozy is a pro-business conservative. I would not be at all surprised to see E85 exempted as a sop to French farmers.
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armmat 2:26AM (10/28/2007)
DAVE...
There have been many milestones in France's history...many more to be proud for sure than can be said about the US of A.
At least they actually give a shit...unlike the baboon we have in power here. Oh sorry....I didn't mean to insult the primate species with that comment.
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