Paris (AFP)

The Senate seizes Monday of the sprawling climate bill, inspired by the work of the Citizen's Convention (CCC) wanted by Emmanuel Macron, but criticized for its lack of ambition and deemed "perfectible" by the right-wing opposition which dominates the upper room.

Constellation of rapporteurs, 10 in number with the rapporteurs for opinion, myriad of amendments, nearly 700 adopted in committee, more than 2,000 tabled in public session ... after the deputies, the senators engage in a first examination reading at forced march until the general vote on June 29.

Supported by the Minister of Ecological Transition Barbara Pompili, the "climate and resilience" bill reflects part of the 146 proposals of the CCC that Emmanuel Macron had retained, the elimination of certain domestic airlines in the event of alternatives to less than 2h30 by train to the ban on the rental of thermal sieve housing in 2028.

It must be definitively validated at the end of 2021 and be supplemented by a constitutional section in order to include the climate in the Basic Law.

But Prime Minister Jean Castex accuses the upper house of having "lowered" this ambition.

The Senate responds by affirming that it wants to "enhance the environmental ambitions" of the government on this "climate and resilience" bill under study, and "to make France's European commitments credible", underlines the centrist chairman of the committee. 'Regional planning Jean-François Longeot.

The text was supposed to enable France to achieve the objectives it set for itself in application of the Paris Agreement (reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030 compared to 1990, neutrality carbon by 2050).

Targets revised upwards in April at European level (reduction of at least 55% in 2030).

But environmentalists like several bodies such as the High Council for the Climate (HCC) or the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (Cese) believe that the account is not there.

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The Senate should mark the occasion by adopting in session an amendment aimed at creating a preliminary article to the bill, according to which "France undertakes to respect the objectives" currently being revised at European level.

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The senators drew in committee the main directions in which they intend to develop this "perfectible" text: "reconcile ecological, economic and social transitions", "set a clear course to sustainably engage our economy in the low carbon transition", and again "to link the daily life of the French, (...) our economic model and our international and European climate commitments".

Transport, housing, consumption ... For the rapporteur Marta de Cidrac (LR), "it was important not to lose sight of the fact that this text mainly affects our fellow citizens in their daily lives".

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Several articles have been rewritten, for example to deploy environmental labeling more quickly.

The article creating the offense of "ecocide" has been "clarified".

The very term "ecocide" has been dropped, to reserve it for international law.

The energy renovation component of housing has been enhanced, at the instigation of Dominique Estrosi-Sassone (LR), with in particular the planned disappearance of class D housing in 2048.

Among the other notable measures adopted in committee: boost to bulk sales, reduction of the VAT rate to 5.5% for train tickets, creation of a food and nutrition check, ban from 2023 on air conditioners on terraces, creation of a zero-interest loan to help low-income households acquire clean vehicles ...

The regional ecotax for heavy goods vehicles has been put in brackets.

At the forefront of this text, the environmental group welcomed "progress", even if it still considers it insufficient.

He also deplores several "setbacks", in particular on the fight against the artificialization of soils.

The senators have completely revised it to favor "a territorialized approach" and to relax the deadlines.

On the NGO side, Pierre Cannet of WWF France notes "good surprises" on advertising, but deplores the "unraveling" of devices aimed at reducing the use of nitrogenous fertilizers or on vegetarian menus in the canteen.

© 2021 AFP