Latest news with #JulieAndreu
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Campaigners hail move to prosecute owners of French steelworks over pollution
Environmental and residents' action groups on Tuesday hailed a decision to charge the steel group ArcelorMittal with pumping toxic fumes into the atmosphere in south-eastern France and attempting to cover up its tracks. Campaigners have been battling with the company for nearly a decade over the emissions from the ArcelorMittal plant in the industrial port zone of Fos-sur-Mer some 40km north-west of Marseille. They say emissions contained benzene, lead and cadmium - all classified as carcinogens and mutagens. They claim the plumes of smoke from the plant also contained toxic agents such as nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide. Following a report published by the investigative website Mediapart, the Marseille public prosecutor Nicolas Bessone told the French news agency AFP that ArcelorMittal faced charges of endangering the lives of others as well as forgery and use of forgeries. ArcelorMittal, which has been placed under judicial supervision, denies the charges. "We welcome this good news," Julie Andreu, a lawyer for the campaign group, told AFP. "I'm satisfied that the courts have done their job and got to the bottom of it," aded Daniel Moutet, president of the Association for the Defence and Protection of the Coastline of the Gulf of Fos (ADPLGF), which was behind the collective complaint filed in 2018. ArcelorMittal has invested more than 735 million euros since 2014 to modernise its facilities in order to reduce emission levels. Its direct CO2 emissions have averaged 5.6 Mt/year over the last five years. (With news wires) Read more on RFI EnglishRead also:French bosses' leader calls ArcelorMittal nationalisation threat scandalousFrench minister doubts ArcelorMittal would stick to deal to keep furnaces openFrench government helps ArcelorMittal speed up shift to more green energy
Reuters
25-03-2025
- Business
- Reuters
ArcelorMittal indicted in Fos-sur-Mer pollution case in France
March 25 (Reuters) - ArcelorMittal has been indicted for endangering the lives of others, forgery and environmental damages in connection to industrial pollution in the Fos-sur-Mer region, France, the Marseille public prosecutor's office told Reuters on Tuesday. The world's second largest steelmaker was sued in November 2018 by French environmental NGO Association de Défense et Protection du Littoral du Golfe de Fos (ADPLGF), some 250 local residents, unions and other non-governmental organisations. here. They were represented by Julie Andreu, a Marseille environmental lawyer, who filed the complaint. "ADPLGF welcomes these historic indictments, targeting not only the corporate entity but also single individuals," the NGO said in a press release. ArcelorMittal was not immediately available for comment when contacted by Reuters.
