MEPs urge Commission to take measures against French government decree

Brussels, 4 December 2020 – MEPs are concerned about the French government issued decree n°2020-412, that would enable prefects to allow projects to be pursued without having to abide by certain regular environmental regulations.

At issue is the fact that the said decree exempts, for instance, impact-studies from being carried out on projects prior to their implementation, thus preventing the possibility of any public investigations.

“Although the decree does provide that the prefect grants exemptions ‘in accordance with obligations stemming from European law’, the mechanism appears in inherent contradiction with European law and, more specifically, with directives pertaining to the principle of public participation and information,” write the signatories.

Therefore, in this letter to Commissioners Frans Timmermans and Virginijus Sinkevicius, MEPs consider this decree to be a violation of the European Union rule of law and urge them to take action against the deregulation of the environmental legislations in France.

Read the full letter below.

Share this post