France scraps mandatory low-emission zones in major cities
The Bill, which split MPs loyal to Emmanuel Macron, the French president, came after critics argued that such zones unfairly punish poorer motorists unable to change to less polluting vehicles.
Under French laws passed in 2019 and 2021, local authorities whose urban areas exceed regulatory air-quality thresholds must set up low-emission zones (ZFEs). The aim is to cut emissions of fine particles, which the authorities say are responsible for 48,000 deaths a year in France, by excluding certain old or polluting vehicles.
Some 24 towns and cities, notably Paris and Lyon, as well as Grenoble and Montpellier, have introduced these to varying degrees.
Vehicles that enter such zones must carry 'Crit'Air' stickers proving their low pollution levels. Those who fail to comply risk being hit by a fine of up to €135 (£115).
All French cities with more than 150,000 residents were supposed to introduce ZFEs this year.
But a group of MPs from the National Rally and the Right – along with a few independents and MPs from Emmanuel Macron's group – tabled a proposal to scrap the zones altogether.
Unusually, the hard-Left France Unbowed party also backed ditching ZFEs, although it opposed the Bill overall.
However, shortly before Tuesday's debate, ex-prime minister Gabriel Attal, leader of Mr Macron's Ensemble Pour la République group, came out against shelving ZFEs, prompting predictions it would not pass.
Still, in a vote on Tuesday evening, a sufficient number of pro-Macron MPs voted in favour of the text, which was adopted by 275 votes to 252, meaning ZFEs will not become compulsory; it will be up to municipalities to impose them if they wish.
Greens leader Marine Tondolier said the result was further proof of President Macron's waning influence on domestic affairs, as his camp had sought to preserve ZFEs.
'Neither Emmanuel Macron nor Gabriel Attal has any impact on their camp,' she said. 'They wanted to redeem themselves by preserving the ZFEs, but even that they are incapable of doing.'
'An unacceptable policy of social segregation'
Marine Le Pen, the National Rally's parliamentary leader, hailed the vote as 'a victory so long hoped for by millions of French people who are victims of an unacceptable policy of social segregation'.
She promised to do 'everything humanly possible' to see it enacted swiftly.
However, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, Mr Macron's ecological transition minister, lamented the result. 'Public health and the fight against climate change and pollution should not be variables in political calculations,' she said.
The Bill also loosens net-zero rules by allowing local authorities to 'exceed by up to 30 per cent' limits on building on untouched land.
The Bill now must go before a joint committee, where seven MPs and seven senators will have to agree on a common version, viewed as more or less a formality.
Defenders of ZFE schemes point to studies showing that such zones significantly reduce air pollution and respiratory disease.
But many motorists and politicians had warned that rolling them out more widely could cause a public backlash, mainly from less well-off motorists who were unaware of the changes or unable to pay to upgrade or change their vehicles in time.
Several European cities have introduced low-emission zones, such as Milan and Stockholm.
London has the world's largest pollution-charging scheme, Ulez, which was implemented in the city centre in 2019 before expanding to all of Greater London's nine million residents in 2023.
It requires motorists to switch to low-emission vehicles or face a daily charge of £12.50 for driving a more-polluting car within the zone.
Its expansion saw fierce opposition from outer London residents, with local councils launching unsuccessful legal challenges and hundreds of Ulez cameras vandalised.
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