Low Emission Zones: The "simplification" law is under threat in the Assembly. Will the ZFEs ultimately be maintained?

The eclectic text, in its current form, includes a whole range of provisions for individuals, entrepreneurs, and traders, ranging from the simplification of the commercial lease regime to the issuance of IV licenses for the sale of alcoholic beverages. The main parliamentary battles initially revolved around the simplification of public action and a "French-style" review of state agencies and advisory bodies likely to be abolished. Without a "chainsaw" or "axe," the Minister for Simplification, Laurent Marcangeli (Horizons), had pledged. In the end, around twenty bodies were targeted, much to the dismay of the left, which denounced blind cuts, but also of the right and the far right, who deplore a lack of ambition.

But the bulk of the battle was fought over environmental issues - with environmentalists denouncing an "accelerated unraveling of environmental law" - and the markers of Emmanuel Macron's first five-year term.

The Republicans and the National Rally have indeed secured the abolition of low-emission zones, which exclude older and polluting vehicles, with the support of some Macronist and LFI voices, even though the latter are opposed to the rest of the bill. Against the left and part of the central bloc, the right and the RN have also secured a significant rollback of the "zero net artificialization" (ZAN), a measure to combat land take, by allowing local authorities to "exceed by up to 30%" the limit on developable areas.

Highly publicized votes that "overwhelm everything," including some "interesting compromises," laments rapporteur Stéphane Travert, who is affiliated with the Macronist group Ensemble pour la République (EPR). "Only the radicals have spoken out," laments Travert, deeming "responsibly" impossible a blanket repeal of the ZFEs, in the name of "public health." While the groups will formally decide on Tuesday morning, the EPR deputies already recorded a vote against on Sunday, sending the senatorial version back to the joint committee (CMP, seven deputies and seven senators) tasked with finding a compromise. This is a major decision, since the addition of their votes to those of the left-wing groups, who are highly critical of the text, amounts to an absolute majority.

"The champions of the culture of compromise" only defend it "when there is a victory at the end of what they were defending," fumes Ian Boucard (LR), who initiated one of the amendments removing the ZFE. "There is a majority for repealing them, and what's more, it's demanded by the French people. They're completely out of it," comments RN MP Jean-Philippe Tanguy. The text is therefore in an unfavorable ballot, even if the mobilization of each camp, the final decision of the groups on Tuesday, and the monitoring of positions could also have an impact. Some Macronists were considering abstaining on Monday.

What future for the “simplification” law?

Édouard Philippe's Horizons party will vote for the bill. It "includes a large number of simplification measures awaited by our economic fabric and our fellow citizens; we must accelerate," asserts group boss Paul Christophe. As for the ZFE, "this is not enough to reject the text, especially since there is a strong chance that it will be a legislative rider"—unrelated to the initial text—which would ultimately be rejected by the Constitutional Council, Christophe believes.