Parliament definitively adopted the bill, criticized for its lack of ambition by the left

Its ambition is to strengthen the attractiveness of France by promoting the ecological transition. The green industry bill, supported by the government, is definitively adopted following the votes of the National Assembly, Tuesday, then the Senate, Wednesday October 11, at the end of ten months of work carried out between Bercy and the two chambers.

The Senate adopted by 243 votes to 17 – those of the environmentalist group – the text which aims to “accelerate” the reindustrialization of the country. It must encourage the deployment of major decarbonization technologies.

Parliament made “an important step that takes us on the path to green reindustrialization”greeted the Minister of Industry, Roland Lescure, on the benches of the Senate, while the Minister of the Economy and Finance, Bruno Le Maire, affirmed that “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”.

“Divide by two” the deadlines for setting up factories

Whether by chance of the calendar or careful preparation of the agenda, Mr. Le Maire opened the first Paris Decarbonization Forum on Wednesday in Paris, which brought 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 “put an end to massive deindustrialization” that France has known.

One of its main objectives will be to accelerate the reindustrialization of the country, with the objective of “divide by two”according to the government, the deadlines for setting up factories, today estimated at seventeen months.

It is also about encouraging the deployment of major decarbonization technologies, the main ones concerned, the “big five”, being wind power, photovoltaics, heat pumps, batteries and decarbonized hydrogen.

Still with a view to simplification, certain large projects known as “major national interest” will benefit from an exceptional procedure which gives the State a hand, with the association, upstream, of local authorities, in particular the municipalities of location. This device, dear to the Senate, was validated late Monday evening after negotiations between deputies and senators.

“Fuzzy contours” and “lack of ambition” for the left

For financing, the executive relies on private savings (retirement savings, life insurance) and provides in this law for the launch of a new product intended for the youngest, the “future climate savings plan”unlocked when the saver reaches the age of majority and after five years of savings.

Several unknowns nevertheless remain and will be debated within the framework of the finance bill for 2024 in the coming weeks in Parliament, including the outlines of a tax credit in favor of companies which invest in green industries. This measure has already been considered by multiple amendments in the National Assembly.

“This bill remains in the middle of the ford”regretted centrist senator Patrick Chauvet, for whom “the real meeting will be the finance bill”, debated over the coming weeks in Parliament. For the socialist deputy Gérard Leseul, whose group abstained in the vote, “this text sorely lacks ambition” because of his “blurred edges” between “greenwashing” And “greening of the economy”.

“This green industry project gave birth to a gray mouse”denounced the environmentalist senator Daniel Salmon, who was waiting “an industry part of a real ecological transition designed over the long term”.

Another point of vigilance for parliamentarians, the allocation of resources intended for the rehabilitation of industrial wastelands, to be confirmed. “Communities must not be left with the responsibility of rehabilitating wastelands that would remain on their hands”, points out the Senate rapporteur Laurent Somon (Les Républicains). On this aspect, Mr. Le Maire is committed to ensuring that the Banque des Territories invests “1 billion euros to develop fifty turnkey sites of 2,000 hectares”.

The law will not, however, include a much-discussed device, which was added by the National Assembly in the middle of the summer against the government’s advice, that of “Say on Climate” type resolutions, imposing on companies 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. Bercy believes that “the path is already made” thanks to the directive on the duty of vigilance of companies in matters of sustainability, currently being finalized at European level.