Dispatch from France | June '25
***Our weekly Dispatches provide an overview of the most relevant recent and upcoming developments for the shift to climate neutrality in selected European countries, from policy and diplomacy to society and industry. For a bird's-eye view of the country's climate-friendly transition, read the respective 'Guide to'.***
Stories to watch in the weeks ahead
Stories to watch in the weeks ahead
- Energy plans: The backlash to France’s third multi-year energy programme, or PPE 3, is not over. More than 160 senators urged prime minister François Bayrou to suspend the publication of the report, which sets the nation’s energy strategy for the next ten years, and several lawmakers and former energy executives have called for a moratorium on its findings being released. Regardless, the government is preparing to ratify a revised text – but is heading for controversial discussions in the coming weeks. Among the organisations that took part in April’s public consultation, the French Academy of Sciences pointed out that the report was based on “incoherent” figures. The plan sets out a number of targets, including slashing the share of fossil fuels in France’s final energy consumption to 30 percent by 2035, against 58 percent in 2023. Bayrou intends to publish the decree defining the strategy by the end of the summer.
- Blackout consequences: The causes of the massive blackout which hit Spain, Portugal and southern France on April 28 continue to be unclear, but the incident has reignited a debate over renewables. Spain’s high level of solar power production was suggested as one of the contributing factors by some commentators, which the country’s grid operator has since refuted. Whatever the true cause, the power outage gave the right and far right in France an opportunity to reassert their opposition to renewable energy at a time when wind and solar power are growing rapidly but electricity consumption is not keeping up. This could ultimately lead to negative electricity prices, in addition to threatening grid stability. Some experts have called on the government to stop developing renewables, while others have advised to think long term and only moderate their rollout.
- Nuclear uncertainties: After the Court of Auditors cast doubts on France’s readiness to build six new next-generation nuclear reactors, known as EPR2, due to financial and technical uncertainties, the French government announced that they would likely be operational by 2038 instead of 2035. State-owned utility firm EDF had also previously said that it would postpone its final investment decision to 2026. A recent steam leak at the controversial Flamanville plant brought the debate about the future of France’s ageing fleet of nuclear reactors back to life. And, as summer approaches, warm temperatures could lead to EDF reducing its nuclear output once again. Meanwhile, a bill proposed by right-wing senator Daniel Grémillet, which sought to favour nuclear power production in France, was rejected by deputies in early June.
- Climate leadership: As transatlantic ties crumble and the United States backtracks on climate progress, including by withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, France is pushing for the European Union and China to strengthen environmental collaboration. Agnès Pannier-Runacher, French minister for the green transition, who met with her Chinese counterparts in late May ahead of a Beijing-Brussels summit this summer, said that ”points of convergence were felt”, including on both parties’ commitment to the Paris Agreement. The French government hopes to use the summit to discuss the responsibility that developed countries have in paying to help Global South nations combat climate change and its consequences.
The latest from France – last month in recap
The latest from France – last month in recap
- Clean energy: So far in 2025, France’s clean energy output has risen to six-year highs, with combined generation from nuclear, solar, wind and hydropower plants recording their highest output since 2019. French power producers generated some 95 percent of the country’s electricity supply from clean sources, which exceeds clean power production in many other European nations by far.
- Direction change: Luc Rémont, the head of EDF, was dismissed before the end of his term in July on the back of conflicts with the state and complaints from large industrial clients over rising electricity costs. The candidacy of Bernard Fontana, senior executive vice-president in charge of the company’s industry and services unit, was approved in principle in late April.
- Ocean protection: Ahead of the United Nations summit in Nice, France, on ocean emergency in early June, president Emmanuel Macron vowed to defend the work of scientists and pushed other countries to ratify the High Seas Treaty, which is designed to protect international waters. With oceans absorbing 30 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions, the French leader celebrated the incoming High Seas Treaty, which received sufficient pledges of support from countries attending the summit. The treaty can be implemented if at least 60 countries have adopted it.
- Fast fashion: The French Senate had earlier in June adopted an amended version of its “fast fashion” bill presented last year, which aims to curb the influx of environmentally unfriendly, ultra-cheap clothing brands that are flooding the market, many of them from China. According to state environment agency, 35 items of clothing are discarded every second in France and, ultimately, they end up decomposing in landfills, which generates greenhouse gas emissions and releases harmful chemicals that can contaminate soil and water. Their production and transport require large volumes of energy, which often raises the level of emissions. The amended bill has drawn criticism from all sides. While senators from the right-wing Republican party want to specifically target the Chinese fast fashion giants despite warnings that this would derail billions of euros in trade with the Asian country, ecologists have claimed that the amended version of the bill is weaker than the original.
Juliette’s picks – highlights from upcoming events and top reads
Juliette’s picks – highlights from upcoming events and top reads
- For RFI, journalist Alison Hird takes a look at France’s first “positive energy neighbourhood”. Fontaine d’Ouche, a social housing district in Dijon, now produces more energy than it consumes thanks to solar panels, smart technologies and deep renovations. As the head of Dijon Métropole and the city’s former mayor, François Rebsamen, explains: “We’re proving that a human-scale city can be at the forefront of ecological innovation.”
- Since his return to the White House, Donald Trump has been on a crusade to strip researchers of all support. Is there a risk of contagion on our side of the Atlantic? French historian and author Aurélie Luneau speaks with climate experts on how to face the difficult geopolitical and economic context and cope with climate scepticism, Trumpism and science denial.
- Beyond France, one of the latest research papers by Nature is worth a read. While many of us may regularly use the term “climate injustice”, we now have figures to understand how consumption and investments contribute to worsening the climate crisis. According to the study, which Le Monde journalist Audrey Garric summarises, the world’s wealthiest 10 percent are responsible for two thirds of global warming, reinforcing evidence that wealth disparities and climate impacts are closely linked.
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