Paris (AFP)

After nine hours of discussions, deputies and senators reached an agreement on the climate bill overnight, paving the way for final adoption this summer, we learned from government and parliamentary sources.

Meeting in a joint joint committee, the parliamentarians of the two chambers found a compromise on this dense bill, inspired by the proposals of the Citizen's Climate Convention.

"This is an important step taken", welcomed the general rapporteur of the text on the Assembly side Jean-René Cazeneuve (LREM).

The Senate dominated by the right "returned to the environmental setbacks which were red lines for the government, on the artificialization of soils, vegetarian menus and again the energy renovation of housing", was also congratulated in Matignon .

However, the mixed committee retained the contributions of the Senate on the support component, in particular on the sustainable mobility package.

"We must salute this ability to overcome political divisions to advance ecology even further," said the Minister of Ecological Transition Barbara Pompili on Twitter, who brought the bill before the assemblies.

"We are going to bring ecology into our lives", praised the one which promotes "an ecology of everyday life".

"One of the hardest fights" between deputies and senators has focused on the extension of low-emission zones, without polluting vehicles, to metropolitan areas of more than 150,000 inhabitants by December 31, 2024.

"We did not want a change in schedule or derogations," insisted Jean-René Cazeneuve.

The deputy evokes on other points a text "supplemented" by elements coming from the Senate to develop hydroelectricity or to involve more local communities.

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Concerning the installation of wind turbines, the deputies opposed a right of veto of the mayor desired by the Senate.

But "without calling into question the objective", the mayor will be able to give "his opinion", according to the deputy LREM, who underlines the "good quality of the bicameral work".

Presented in early 2021, the “climate and resilience” bill reflects part of the 146 proposals of the Citizen's Climate Convention that Emmanuel Macron retained.

They range from the abolition of certain domestic overhead lines in the event of alternatives of less than 2 hours and 30 minutes by train to the ban on rental of thermal strainer accommodation.

It must help France to try to achieve the objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030, but is widely criticized by environmental NGOs and environmentalists for its "lack of ambition" .

On July 1, it is the Council of State which gave nine months to the State to take "all the useful measures".

The highest French administrative court noted that France's current trajectories do not allow it to meet its commitments under the Paris Agreement.

The trajectory will be all the more difficult to respect as the European Union is preparing to revise its objectives upwards with expected repercussions for France.

© 2021 AFP