It is one of the most emblematic texts of the five-year term. The “green industry” law reached Parliament on Wednesday October 11 with the final adoption by senators of this text which intends to reindustrialize France while promoting decarbonization, despite the skepticism of part of the opposition.
Parliament has taken “an important step which takes us on the path to green reindustrialization”, said Industry Minister Roland Lescure on the Senate benches. The vote was broad in the hemicycle, with 243 votes in favor and 17 votes against, those of the environmental group. The National Assembly did the same on Tuesday evening.
“This unprecedented bill will allow France to position itself as the future European leader in green industry and the breeding ground for tomorrow’s green technologies,” said the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire, after a ten months of work carried out between Bercy, the National Assembly and the Senate.
A decarbonization forum in Paris
By chance of the calendar or carefully prepared agenda, Bruno Le Maire opened the first “Paris decarbonization forum” on Wednesday in Paris, bringing together industrialists, investment fund managers and bankers. The themes of the event match those of the text of the law, emblematic for the executive which wishes to “put an end to the massive deindustrialization” that France has experienced.
One of its main objectives will be to accelerate the reindustrialization of the country, with the objective of “halving”, according to the government, the deadlines for setting up factories, currently estimated at 17 months.
It is also about encouraging the deployment of major decarbonization technologies, those of the “big five” – wind power, photovoltaics, heat pumps, batteries, decarbonized hydrogen.
Offshore wind turbines in France
© / The Express
Still with a view to simplification, certain large projects said to be of “major national interest” will benefit from an exceptional procedure which gives the State a hand… While involving, upstream, local authorities and in particular the municipalities of implantation, a device dear to the Senate and validated late Monday evening after negotiations between deputies and senators.
“Blurred contours”
On the financing side, the executive is banking on private savings (retirement savings, life insurance) and provides in this law for the launch of a new product intended for the youngest, the “climate future savings plan”, released at the majority of the saver and after five years of saving.
Several unknowns nevertheless remain and will be debated within the framework of the finance bill for 2024 in the coming weeks in Parliament, in particular on the contours of a tax credit in favor of companies which invest in green industries. A measure already targeted by multiple amendments in the Assembly.
“This bill remains in the middle of the ford,” regretted senator (Centrist Union) Patrick Chauvet, for whom “the real meeting will be the finance bill”, debated in the coming weeks in Parliament.
For PS MP Gérard Leseul, whose group abstained, “this text is sorely lacking in ambition” because of its “blurred contours” between “greenwashing” and “greening of the economy”. “This green industry project has given birth to a gray mouse,” denounced environmentalist senator Daniel Salmon, who was expecting “an industry part of a real ecological transition designed over the long term.”
Industrial wastelands
Another point of vigilance for parliamentarians, the signposting to confirm the means intended for the rehabilitation of industrial wastelands: “The communities must not be left with the responsibility of rehabilitating wastelands which would remain on their hands”, points out the rapporteur (The Republicans) in the Senate Laurent Somon.
On this aspect, Bruno Le Maire pledged that the Banque des Territoires would invest “one billion euros to develop 50 turnkey sites of 2,000 hectares”. The law will not, however, include a much-discussed device which was added by the Assembly in the middle of the summer against the advice of the government, that of “Say on Climate” type resolutions, requiring listed companies to consult their shareholders on their climate strategy.
Deputies and senators finally withdrew it during their negotiations, going in the direction of the government. “We can always add procedures and hope for a positive impact but that is beside the point,” we believe in Bercy, adding that “the road has already been made” thanks to the directive on the duty of vigilance of companies in terms of sustainability, currently being finalized at European level.