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French National Assembly Votes to End Low-Emission Zones

The government warns that final ratification could trigger environmental setbacks alongside a potential €3 billion shortfall in EU climate funding.

Initiée en 2019, cette politique vise à limiter les émissions de particules fines, responsables de 40 000 décès prématurés par an, selon Santé publique France.
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Les ZFE prévoient de limiter la circulation de certains véhicules thermiques pour limiter les émissions de particules fines.
Les ZFE doivent, pour être acceptées et donc efficaces, être combinées avec une politique d’électrification du parc automobile pour ceux qui en ont le plus besoin.

Overview

  • On May 28, deputies approved an amendment to abolish zones à faibles émissions by 98 votes to 51, backed by Les Républicains, RN, LFI and some Macron-aligned MPs.
  • Introduced in 2019 under Macron’s Climate and Resilience law, ZFE limit Crit’Air 3 and older diesel and petrol vehicles in major urban areas to reduce fine particle emissions.
  • The Assembly rejected a government proposal to preserve ZFE in Paris and Lyon with local exemptions, marking a clear defeat for the Ministry of Ecological Transition.
  • Critics say ZFE unfairly penalize low-income households unable to upgrade to cleaner cars, while health experts warn that their repeal may harm air quality and public health.
  • The repeal must be confirmed in the full simplification bill after mid-June debates on more than 600 amendments and could face censure by the Constitutional Council.