Latest news with #ConstitutionalCouncil
Local France
30-05-2025
- Automotive
- Local France
Is this the end of France's Crit'Air zones for drivers?
If you're driving in France's biggest towns and cities, your vehicle will need to display a sticker known as Crit'Air, denoting how polluting it is. Some of the oldest and most polluting vehicles under the Crit'Air scheme are banned from city centres, with plans to expand these low-emissions zones. First introduced in 2017, the low-emissions zones have helped to lower pollution levels in some cities, but they have long been the target of complaints that they are overly complicated and confusing, as well as poorly enforced. Because many of the rules were introduced on a local level, France ended up with a patchwork of different regulations, meaning the same vehicle might be allowed in the town centre in Bordeaux, but not in Paris. Added to that is the fact that local authorities can implement temporary bans on days when pollution levels are high. READ MORE: Crit'Air: How France's vehicle emissions stickers work A new law in 2021 aimed to standardise rules and expand the zones to smaller towns, although wide local disparities remain. Why are we talking about this now? On Wednesday, French MPs voted in favour of an amendment that would scrap low-emission zones, or zones à faibles émissions (ZFEs), as defined in the 2021 law. Advertisement The goal of ZFEs is to decrease air pollution, which contributes to thousands of deaths in France each year, but critics have said that the ZFEs penalise lower-income workers who rely on their vehicles for daily life and cannot afford to replace them with a newer, more environmentally friendly model. The move to get rid of ZFEs was primarily supported by members of the right and far-right, as well as some left-wing politicians. But despite the vote, it is not certain that the low-emission zones will actually be scrapped. What's next? The move to scrap low-emission zones was added as an amendment to a bill currently making its way through parliament, known as the 'simplification' bill , it aims to streamline administrative processes. As of Friday, there were still over 600 amendments left to study before MPs could vote on the full bill. Then, in order to pass, the bill must receive majority support in the Assemblée nationale. Even if the bill as a whole does pass, there are still several hurdles to clear. Firstly, the amendment related to ZFEs could also end up being scrapped by France's Constitutional Council (Conseil Constitutionnel). This happens relatively often in the French legislative process - if MPs add an amendment that is completely unrelated to the original idea of the bill, then the Conseil Constitutionnel has the power to deny it. READ MORE: EXPLAINED: What is France's Constitutional Council and how does it work? The other concern for French lawmakers has to do with the EU. The EU promised to give France €40 billion in subsidies as part of its 2020 European recovery plan , with the understanding that France would take steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. If France fails to meet these commitments, the country could be required to pay a portion of the aid money back to the EU. On top of that, France's own Conseil d'État (Council of State) could force the country to pay penalties for failing to meet air quality thresholds if the ZFEs are scrapped, French news site Capital reported. Advertisement What is the current status of the low-emission zones? As of January 2025, there were 42 urban areas classified as ZFEs, meaning motorists must display the Crit'Air sticker, but the requirement to gradually increase bans on polluting vehicles has been diluted quite a bit in the last few years, in response to criticism. READ MORE: MAP: The French cities with Crit'Air low emission zones in 2025 Initially, as part of France's 'climate and resistance law' from 2021, the parliament voted to gradually require urban areas with more than 150,000 inhabitants to bring in low-emission zones. The idea was that from 2023, Crit'Air 5 vehicles would be banned, then Crit'Air 4 vehicles from 2024 and eventually Crit'Air 3 vehicles from 2025. However, in reality, local authorities have been allowed to enforce the rules by their own standards, meaning the exceptions from city to city still vary greatly. Advertisement Following pushback from the public, the French government announced in 2023 they would soften the plans. They decided instead to create two separate distinctions for urban areas based on pollution levels. Cities that regularly exceed air quality thresholds (now called ZFE 'Territories') would have to continue to restrict highly polluting vehicles according to the original rules. In contrast, urban areas that stay within air quality thresholds would be considered 'vigilance zones' and would not be required to enforce new restrictions, though they can do so voluntarily. At the start of 2025, only a handful of cities opted to tighten restrictions on polluting vehicles, while Paris and Lyon were the only two classed as ZFE 'Territories' and required to restrict Crit'Air 3 vehicles. So do I still need a Crit'Air sticker? Fascinating as the French parliamentary process undoubtedly is, for most drivers the big question will be whether you still need a Crit'Air sticker to drive in France (and remember that these are required for foreign-registered vehicles as well). At present, the answer is yes, they are still required - it will take several months to exhaust the various next parliamentary steps, and then a date for ending the scheme must be formalised. In truth, Crit'Air is one of the most straightforward pieces of French admin - you order the sticker online (there's even an English-language version of the website ) at a cost of €3.18 if you are in France or €4.91 if you are in another country. The sticker lasts as long as you keep the vehicle.
Eyewitness News
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
Senegal president opens dialogue on political reform
DIAMNIADIO - Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye on Wednesday formally opened a national dialogue aimed at steering the west African country through political reform and "consolidating democracy" after a series of violent crises. The move, which the head of state launched along with his prime minister, Ousmane Sonko, comes against a backdrop of tension between Faye's administration and the opposition. Several opposition parties boycotted the process, however, including that of former president Macky Sall, who was succeeded by Faye last year after 12 years at the helm and who accuses the authorities of persecuting his party's officials. Faye and Sonko have promised to hold to account former leaders, notably Sall himself, accusing them of mismanagement. A clutch of legal proceedings have been launched against Sall-era officials, and a special court recently indicted five former ministers for alleged embezzlement. Of the five, three - including Sall's brother-in-law - were incarcerated. The other two were released on parole. Most opposition forces did, however, take part in the opening ceremony of the consultation in the new town of Diamniadio, just outside the capital, Dakar. 'UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY' The consultations, presented as the fifth edition of a "National Dialogue" first initiated by Sall himself, also bring together members of civil society, unions, experts and academics. Topics will include overhauling the political party system, the "status" of the opposition, the revision of the sponsorship system required to be a presidential candidate and the transformation of the existing Constitutional Council into a Constitutional Court. The goal is to create a "strong consensus to sustainably strengthen Senegalese democracy and fully guarantee the exercise of fundamental rights and freedoms", according to the government. "These consultations offer us a unique opportunity to reflect on our political system," said Faye. The country's recent history showed that change was needed, he added, "to remove from our electoral system all roots of disagreement, especially between the government and opposition". Faye committed to an opposition that is "respected" and that can "freely exercise its rights in accordance with the law". The conclusions of the consultations are expected to be submitted to Faye on 4 June. Senegal has experienced recurring conflicts in its recent history, notably during violent unrest that saw dozens of mostly young people shot dead between 2021 and 2024. Sall, who ruled Senegal with an iron fist for over a decade, was long suspected of wanting to extend his rule into a third term. Sonko, his political rival, was declared ineligible to stand in elections last year and was jailed for several months. But he and his right-hand man Faye were released with hundreds of other opposition supporters due to an amnesty law. Faye was elected president soon afterwards.
L'Orient-Le Jour
03-05-2025
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Constitutional Council invalidates 2025 budget articles
The Constitutional Council on Friday annulled several articles of the 2025 state budget after two appeals by MPs, according to al-Markazia, during a session led by Judge Tannous Mechleb in the absence of Vice President Omar Hamzeh for health reasons. The 2025 budget text had been presented to Parliament by the caretaker government of Najib Mikati while it was handling current affairs at the end of September 2024. Criticized for its excessive use of taxes to fill the Treasury deficit, the text was finalized and enacted by decree by the current Cabinet of Nawaf Salam on March 6. This measure sparked criticism, mainly due to its being rushed by IMF-imposed deadlines on reforms. Two groups of MPs then decided to present appeals for invalidation, the first on March 26 by Melhem Khalaf, Najat Saliba, Firas Hamdan, Adib Abdel Massih, Bilal Hshaimi, Melhem Tawk, Adnane Trabolsi, Taha Naji, Ibrahim Mneimneh, Tony Frangieh and Paula Yacoubian. The second was submitted on March 27 by several FPM-aligned MPs, including head of the party Gebran Bassil, Jimmy Jabbour, Ghassan Atallah, Edgard Traboulsi, Nada Boustany, Charbel Maroun, Selim Aoun, Nicolas Sehnawi and Cesar Abi Khalil. The Constitutional Council invalidated several articles of the 2025 state budget, citing procedural and constitutional violations. These included the failure to seek parliamentary approval, retroactive application from the start of the year despite its adoption in March, and the absence of signatures from all relevant ministers. The Council also noted that the text was not automatically submitted for review as required. The ruling also pointed to violations of the principle of social equality in taxation and criticized the vague wording of certain provisions. It emphasized that constitutional texts should not contain retroactive clauses, further justifying its decision. Therefore, the Council decided to accept both appeals and invalidate articles 5, 17, 22, 25, 54 and 56, which are related to the aforementioned causes. This decision was made by the majority of those present, except for two judges. The text of this decision will be published in the next Official Gazette.
The Star
22-04-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Deportees stranded far from home
IN December, Moussa Sacko spent his birthday in Mali scrolling through messages from friends with whom he celebrated a year earlier on Paris' Champs-Elysees. He hasn't seen any of them since being deported from France in July. Like Sacko, hundreds of foreign nationals previously protected because they grew up in France now face expulsion under legislation introduced last year. Sacko was born in Mali but moved to France as a child to treat a chronic eye condition. He spent most of his life in Montreuil, a Paris suburb. 'I don't feel at home,' Sacko said in Bamako, the capital of Mali, which has a rich culture and history but is one of the poorest countries in the world. Mali is in the grips of an insurgency. Military coups in 2020 and 2021 led to sanctions, tanking the economy. Sacko shares a room with a cousin, on an unpaved street near open sewers, and stands out from the way he dresses and speaks French. Sacko cutting a cake as he celebrates his birthday with his extended family, months after his deportation from France. — Reuters He says he often feels lonely: 'I am on the outside, in a bubble between Europe and Africa.' Reuters interviewed more than 40 people including five people affected by the new law, along with rights advocates, lawyers and researchers, for a detailed look at the impact of France's 2024 immigration reform. In total, Reuters reviewed 12 cases of people deported or facing deportation under the new rules, mostly for crimes for which they served sentences long ago, in what their lawyers called overzealous enforcement that upturned lives. The lower bar has raised concerns, including in French court decisions, that the rules clash with the European Convention on Human Rights' Article 8 on the right to private and family life. The French Interior Ministry did not reply to requests for comment. After presenting the Bill to parliament, then Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said it was about 'what type of immigration we wish to have', including making it easier to deport undocumented immigrants who commit crimes. Support for the law France's Constitutional Council rejected elements of the legislation last year, including migration quotas, but the new deportation rules remained, removing previous protections for foreign nationals who settled in France before the age of 13 and those with French children, a French spouse, or a serious medical condition. The cases reviewed by Reuters involved people deported or threatened with deportation to countries including Mali, Algeria, Morocco and Ivory Coast. Eight settled in France before they were 13. Three have French children, and one has a French spouse. In two of the cases, judges overturned the deportation orders citing Article 8. In one of those cases, the deportation order was struck down after the man had already been expelled. The government said all the individuals were a threat to public order, an elastic legal category 12 lawyers told Reuters was previously reserved for hardened criminals but was now invoked more regularly. People working out at an outdoor fitness area at Point G in Bamako, Mali. —Reuters 'Before, this threat would be terrorism or serious banditry and little by little it has become petty crime,' said immigration lawyer Morgane Belotti. In four of the cases, authorities issued deportation orders without prior warning when the individuals turned up for immigration appointments, without being accused of new infractions, a practice that makes once-routine visits fraught. 'Fewer people are going to risk asking for a residency permit due to fears that it could end in a deportation procedure,' said Melanie Louis, of French rights group La Cimade. The group says deporting someone because of crimes they already received punishment for is a 'double sentence'. Deportations rose 27% in 2024 to 22,000, government data shows. La Cimade tracked 341 deportation orders issued last year as a result of the law. The ministry said it did not have data on the law's impact on people who settled in France as children. The group said it supported 191 individuals last year at the Mesnil-Amelot detention centre, near Charles de Gaulle airport, who would have previously been protected. Of those, 35 were deported, and 24 released due to courts overturning deportation orders, it said. Frustration at Article 8 European governments have expressed frustration with courts using Article 8 to block deportations. Britain's Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced in March a review of immigration courts' use of the article. Gerrie Lodder, migration law professor at the Open University of the Netherlands, described a trend to dilute Article 8 provisions, with people settled as long as 50 years being deported. Migrants standing behind barriers in the courtyard of a detention centre, where migrants are sent to await deportation, in Mesnil-Amelot near Paris, France. —Reuters The European Union is looking at establishing common rules to expedite deportations, including sending rejected asylum seekers to third countries. 'The aim is to make the process of returns simpler,' while respecting fundamental rights, a European Commission spokesman said. Across Europe, deportations of non-EU citizens rose by a quarter in 2023, at 91,000, led by France and Germany, according to statistics agency Eurostat. Advocacy groups and lawyers say France's rules have put individuals at risk in unsafe or unstable countries, separated from family and without adequate healthcare. Sacko's eye condition, nystagmus, causes rapid pupil movements. He saved enough with crowdfunded donations from French friends to buy a motorbike and a small kiosk to sell basic household goods. Sacko said riding the bike lifts his spirits. He has no funds yet to stock the kiosk, he said. 'It is very complicated to make a living,' he said, his eyes jittery. Activist Alassane Dicko, deported to Mali in 2006, helps other returnees. He said some were too ashamed to contact their Malian family for help. Homelessness and mental health issues such as depression were not uncommon, he said. Alone in Algiers In November, a court overturned the deportation order against Algerian national Hocine, 34, citing Article 8. But Hocine, who asked to only use his first name, had been deported to Algeria three months earlier. He is still there. The order cited past offences. Hocine served around six years during spells in prison prior to 2020 for crimes including drug dealing and handling stolen goods. He says he did 'stupid things' as a youth but has changed. Hocine worked as a cleaner and lived with his partner in the Parisian suburb of Nanterre, where he settled with family when he was three years old. He and his partner were trying to have a baby, medical records show. On Aug 1, Hocine attended what he thought was a routine appointment to renew residency papers. A man rowing a canoe on the Niger river in Bamako, Mali. Bamako is the capital of Mali, a country in the grips of an insurgency. Military coups in 2020 and 2021 led to sanctions, tanking the economy. — Reuters Instead he was handed a deportation order. Three weeks later police arrested him at his home. On Sept 4, he was flown to Algiers. 'I'm on the flight bb I can't call my love I love you very much,' he texted his partner from the runway. Reuters established Hocine's story through case documents and interviews with him and court officials. Hocine's partner showed Reuters phone messages. Despite the November decision, which approved a family residency permit, the French consulate in Algiers refused him a visa. Hocine is now living with relatives, unable to speak Arabic, and waiting for the court to notify the consulate of a subsequent ruling in his favour. 'If this doesn't work, I'm going to do like everyone else and cross the sea,' he said, referring to the dangerous irregular route across the Mediterranean. The consulate did not reply to comment requests. The Hauts-de-Seine prefecture responsible for his permit acknowledged Hocine's deportation order had been overruled. No stability After a turbulent upbringing, last year Sacko was in a steady relationship and volunteering most days at a community association in Montreuil named En Gare. He helped with food distribution, events and counselling. He made friends there, who on his birthday took him to the Champs-Elysees. In 2022, before the new law, a court overturned an attempt to deport Sacko after a 12-month sentence for selling marijuana, on grounds he settled in France as a child. The ruling said Sacko was entitled to temporary residency, but the local prefecture rejected two applications, he said. The prefecture did not respond to a comment request. Then, in May, police arrested Sacko during a raid on a building En Gare used as an operations centre and squat for people in need. Sacko was on overnight duty as a supervisor. In the raid, he lost his glasses, adjusted for his condition. A deportation order was issued, saying the drug convictions made him a 'real, current and serious enough threat', surpassing personal ties to France. 'Right when he was finding his feet, he was put right back in a really tough spot,' said Moussa's friend, social worker Assia Belhadi, who co-founded En Gare. After the arrest, Sacko was sent to Mesnil-Amelot. On July 2, he was escorted onto a flight to Bamako. He is banned for two years from applying for a French visa. Compared to Montreuil, Bamako feels like a different planet, said Sacko. The air is hot and sandy. Chickens strut outside. There are no pedestrian crossings and no drizzly mornings, he said. Sacko said days feel long, with no job to go to. He fears he won't see his ailing grandmother again. His eye condition has been untreated for months, and he has no replacement glasses, giving him migraines and blurred vision. For his birthday he bought himself a cake, to eat with relatives. On a January evening, Belhadi and other friends rang, asking if Sacko had good news. 'For now I am waiting,' Sacko said. 'Then we are waiting with you,' Belhadi replied. — Reuters
National News
18-04-2025
- Business
- National News
Aoun refers commercial lease liberalization and pension revaluation to Constitutional Council
NNA - President Joseph Aoun on Thursday filed two appeals with the Constitutional Council challenging the current law on non-residential rents and a separate law amending provisions related to private school teachers and school budget management. According to the state-run National News Agency (NNA), the appeals aim 'to clarify certain provisions' in the two laws 'to facilitate their implementation for the benefit of all concerned.' Aoun also sent a letter to the Cabinet requesting the activation of the old residential rents law in order to 'preserve the rights of all parties involved.' Separately on Thursday, 12 MPs filed an appeal with the Constitutional Council against the law liberalizing commercial rents. Armenian Orthodox MP Hagop Terzian, of the Tashnag party, formally submitted the appeal on their behalf. The controversial law, which went into effect April 3, lifts restrictions on commercial leases signed before 1992. Its passage triggered protests by tenants' rights groups in Saida, Tripoli and Beirut. For landlords, especially those holding older contracts, the law is seen as a long-awaited reform. Rents for some commercial properties had remained frozen for decades under the 1963 rent control law, even as the Lebanese pound lost significant value during the 1980s Civil War and again after the 2019 economic collapse. Some tenants have reportedly paid the equivalent of just $5 per month under the outdated system. In a statement carried by NNA, an association representing property owners under the old rental regime implicitly criticized Aoun's appeal and rejected the 'perpetuation' of rental contracts they say violate private property rights. Meanwhile, two laws supporting the private school teachers' pension fund — passed by Parliament in December 2023 but initially frozen by former Prime Minister Najib Mikati — were published in the Official Gazette on April 3 at the request of current Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. --- L'Orient Today =============
