French Senate Weakens Key Environmental Law by Removing 2031 Soil Protection Target

The Senate's proposal modifies the 'Zero Artificialisation Nette' law by delaying milestones, granting local authorities more control, and introducing project exemptions, raising environmental concerns.

The French Senate has approved changes to the 'Zero Artificialisation Nette' (ZAN) law, eliminating the 2031 intermediate target to halve soil artificialisation.
The revised law replaces the 2031 milestone with a less specific 2034 target, leaving reductions to be determined locally by authorities.
Local governments gain greater autonomy under the proposal, with the ability to exceed soil artificialisation limits by 20% or more with prefect approval.
Exemptions are introduced for industrial, renewable energy, and social housing projects, which will not count toward artificialisation limits until 2036.
Environmental groups criticize the changes as undermining biodiversity and climate goals, while the proposal awaits further review by the National Assembly before summer.