<p>In June 2023, the French government released a draft CCUS strategy for consultation with industry.</p><p><br></p><p>In its strategy, the government outlines carbon capture targets for France that include:</p><ul><li>4 to 8.5 million tons of CO2 captured a year by 2030&nbsp;</li><li>15 to 20 million tons of CO2 captured a year by 2050&nbsp;</li><li>an extra 10 million tons of CO2 captured a year in non-industrial sectors around 2050.</li></ul><p><br></p><p>The strategy is built on the principle that CCUS should not be used to maintain a “business as usual” approach but to be used to manage residual emissions in the absence of other solutions for decarbonisation or as a transition solution.</p><p><br></p><p>Actions in the draft strategy include:</p><ul><li>carrying out an assessment of the potential of storage by the end of 2023 or beginning of 2024&nbsp;</li><li>launching a call for tenders for seismic surveys and test injections of CO2 in pilot sites, with initial tests starting in 2024-2025</li><li>launching a support scheme via contracts for difference (CCFD) to support industry decarbonisation projects, in particular in the service of carbon capture and sequestration.</li></ul>

On February 24th, 2023, the French Prime Minister presented a plan for the future of transport. 100 billion euro are to be channeled onto the sector by 2040. The plan mostly focuses on rail. Its main objective is to create suburban train networks in ten to twelve metropolises across the country.

This strategy aims at achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 through sectoral policies to enhance energy efficiency, reduction of final energy use and a reinforcement of production from renewable sources.

The Energy Code establishes attribution criteria for the subsidy under the Bicycle Bonus Scheme.

This document details how the concept of ecological planning, promoted by the government, should 1) enable green objectives to be declined sector by sector and territory by territory, 2) define specific actions, and 3) provide the means to reach the objectives. The five core goals that organise the document are the following:<br><br></div><ul><li>Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit the effects of climate change;</li><li>Adapt to the inevitable consequences of climate change;</li><li>Restore biodiversity;</li><li>Reduce the exploitation of&nbsp; natural resources to a sustainable rate;</li><li>Reduce all pollution that affects health.</li></ul><div><br></div><div>Seven transversal projects are launched in parallel:</div><ul><li>Funding that makes it possible to define credible and coherent investment trajectories</li><li>Territorial planning and differentiation according to the characteristics and specificities of each territory, including overseas territories</li><li>The transition of sectors with the management of jobs, training and skills</li><li>Environmental data</li><li>Exemplary public services</li><li>Just transition and accompanying measures, to leave no one behind</li><li>The sobriety of uses and resources.</li></ul><div><br>The General Secretariat to Ecological Planning (SGPE) is created and placed under the authority of the Prime Minister.

This law aims at enhancing the protection of household living standards, consumer protection and energy sovereignty.&nbsp;<br><br>Climate-related norms in the law include:&nbsp;</div><ul><li>On biogas. A national biogas portal is instituted. In the Energy Code, is inserted a sentence worded as follows: "In order to strengthen this security of supply of natural gas, it identifies the support measures necessary to accelerate and develop projects for the production of biogas and any other form of gas renewable sources, in particular those from agricultural methanisation, ensuring that there is no conflict of use with land and agricultural prices."</li><li>On luminous advertising. In the event of a threat to the security of electricity supply, without compromising the objectives of public security and national defense as well as the safety of sensitive installations and works, the Minister responsible for energy may prohibit any illuminated advertising, any advertising supporting posters illuminated by projection or transparency or any digital advertising in built-up areas and outside built-up areas, on roads open to public traffic as well as in airports, train and bus stations and public transport stations and stops. This article also applies to advertisements located inside premises when their location makes them visible from the public thoroughfare.</li><li>The Constitutional Council has challenged an article which aimed to legalise the use of used cooking oil as fuel for private cars.</li></ul><div><br></div><div>The law was validated by the Constitutionnal Council on August 12, 2022. In its decision the Council ruled that the installation of a floating LNG carrier is likely to harm the environment and that it contravenes the Environmental Charter. The Council however validates this installation in a context of difficult gas supply threatening the independence of the nation. It is in this context that the Constitutional Council matches its decision with a reservation of interpretation. According to this reservation, the preservation of the environment must be sought in the same way as the other fundamental interests of the nation. Choices that contravene Article 1 of the Environmental Charter can only be applied in the event of a serious threat to the gas supply. The same reservation applies to Article 36 of the text voted by Parliament, which authorizes raising the ceiling for greenhouse gas emissions from certain thermal power stations operating with fossil fuels.

This law contains a number of climate-related provisions (see below).

The Climate and Resilience law adopts a number of conclusions emanating from the <a href="https://climate-laws.org/geographies/france/policies/climate-convention-report">Citizen Climate Convention</a>. It is a 305-article-long document that mainly focuses on consumption (articles 2 to 29), work and production (30-102), transport (103-147), housing (148-251), food security (252-278), the reinforcement of the legal protection of the environment (279-297), and climate and environmental monitoring (298-305).<br><br>In Article 1 of the law, the State reiterates its commitment to respect the objectives of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with EU 2018/842 regulation and the Paris Agreement.<br><br>Articles 7 to 22 on supervision and regulation of advertising restrict the exposure of products and services with an excessive impact on the climate, notably fossil fuels (2022) and high-polluting cars (2028). From March 1st, 2022, car manufacturers will have to display the CO2 emission class of the their vehicle in advertisements.<br><br>Transport-related measures include 1) the obligation for cities or metropolitan areas of more than 150,000 inhabitants to establish a low-emission mobility zone before December 31, 2024, 2) the banning of flights within French territory when the journey is also provided on the national rail network without a connection and by several daily connections lasting less than 2h30, and 3)&nbsp; grants regions the possibility to create a road ecotax from 2024. Article 133 extends until December 31, 2030, the exceptional deduction scheme that benefit companies using vehicles heavier than 2.6 tonnes and that use gas (NGV, LNG, bioNGV and bioLNG), certain types of biofuels, electricity, and hydrogen.<br><br>The law amends article 101-2 of the Code for Urbanism to set a long-term objective of no further artificialisation of soils. It also creates an environmental labelling system.<br><br>Article 252 mandates public and private managers of school catering services to offer a vegetarian menu at least once a week.<br><br>Article 280 further creates punitive measures for "ecocide" crimes when infringements result in serious and lasting damage to health, flora, fauna or the quality of the air, soil or water.

This law was passed to tackle waste in all&nbsp; sectors and foster circular economy. It also transposes certain clauses of the EU Circular Economy Package and of the EU Directive 2019/904 on plastic pollution.<br><br>Article 13 of this law amends article 6 of Law No. 2004-575 of June 21, 2004 for Confidence in the Digital Economy,&nbsp; internet providers must inform subscribers of the amount of data consumed in the context of providing access to the network and indicates the equivalent of the corresponding greenhouse gas emissions. The article stipulates that "the greenhouse gas emission equivalents corresponding to data consumption are established according to a methodology made available by the Environment and Energy Management Agency."<br><br>Article 111 of this law amends article L. 541-1 of the Environment Code to indicate that food waste for heat production must be encouraged only if projects comply with criteria of sustainability and reduction greenhouse gas emissions.&nbsp;

This law is a vast document setting out France's legal strategy on the future of its transport sector. It has four objectives: 1) Get out of car addiction, 2) Accelerate the growth of new transport modes, 3) achieve the ecological transition, and 4) Schedule investments in transport infrastructure.<br><br>The objective of carbon neutrality for land transport by 2050 is enshrined into law. This objective is accompanied by a ban on sales of fossil-fueled cars (petrol or diesel) by 2040. A bicycle plan is being implemented, with the aim of tripling the modal share of the bicycle by 2024. A bicycle fund is created to fight against breaks in cycle paths, to generalize the marking of bikes against theft, etc.<br><br>The text also promotes the deployment of electric vehicles and sets the objective of increasing public charging stations by five by 2022.<br><br>A sustainable mobility package (to replace the bicycle kilometric allowance) is introduced. It allows employers to pay up to 400 euros per year to employees commuting to work by bicycle or carpooling. The State will generalize this package to its agents in 2020, up to 200 euros per year.<br><br>Voluntary local authorities can deploy low emission zones (ZFE). Access to these areas is reserved for the least polluting vehicles and is based on the Crit'air sticker system. Local authorities can define the terms of access to these areas: geographic perimeter, vehicles concerned, hourly and daily terms.

France. 2022 National Inventory Report (NIR), National Inventory Report from France in 2022

France. 2021 National Inventory Report (NIR), National Inventory Report from France in 2021

Summary of revised national low carbon strategy of France, Long-Term Low-Emission Development Strategy from France in 2021

Four-page overview of revised national low carbon strategy of France, Long-Term Low-Emission Development Strategy from France in 2021

Revised national low carbon strategy of France, Long-Term Low-Emission Development Strategy from France in 2021

Decree n° 2022-1085 regarding ways of aiding the acquisition or rental of low-polluting vehicles

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Date entered into force

This Decree modifies the eligibility threshold for the "ecological bonus" (a purchase grant) for plug-in hybrid vehicles stipulated in the Energy Code (articles D. 251-1, D. 251-7 and D. 251-8).&nbsp; It also introduces a transitional period during which heavy vehicles ordered up until December 31, 2022 (or invoiced up until June 30, 2023) will be able to benefit from the ecological bonus.

Decree n° 2022-1085 regarding ways of aiding the acquisition or rental of low-polluting vehicles

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