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The second round of legislative elections in France saw the surprising defeat of the far right, represented by the National Rally (RN) party, and the victory of the left coalition, the New Popular Front. Looking at the European perspective, it is still difficult to understand what can change in the EU Council with Emmanuel Macron remaining as French president and a divided Parliament that should form a new government. One thing can be taken for sure: the National Rally’s platform on energy and climate will be put aside for at least a few years, as the far right party is not going to be part of any majority. Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella, the leader of RN, were advocating for a cut in taxes related to fossil fuels and a stop, or at least a curb, of wind power projects in France. Among other things, the National Rally’s manifesto calls for “defending the quality of life of French people by rejecting all punitive ecology,”  a clear blow to the EU Green Deal and any approach of this kind to green transitions. In fact, the RN made adamantly clear the political aim of abolishing the Green Deal or rejecting some of its policies, such as the 2035 ban on the sale of new fossil fuel cars, an issue already at the forefront of many far right’s battles in the European Union. It is also worth noticing that the National Rally would like to cancel the Low Emission Zones (LEZs), areas where certain types of vehicles are banned, because of an evaluation made on pollution standards that are set out in the EU’s directive on air quality.

Generally speaking, Le Pen’s party argues that while France is one of the five countries with the least degraded environment, “every day households and businesses are subjected to a punitive ecology through standards that penalize both purchasing power and growth.” In this perspective, the National Rally states that they want to develop a “common-sense ecology,”  based on scientific realities, that “protects the standard of living of French people” and guarantees “our national independence.”.

Then there is the nuclear aspect of the energy policies, in particular the Electricite de France’s intentions to build six more nuclear plants in the countries. A new government with the New Popular Front, or part of the alliance, in it, can slow down or even push through such projects, trying to find different opportunities for massive investment decisions. The potential “cohabitation” with the centrist party of President Emmanuel Macron and other political forces can shape the future of climate action and green initiatives in France, with a direct impact on the European level. We can already spot many differences in the platform proposed by the New Popular Front and Ensemble. The left alliance is quite clear on the priorities on the climate agenda: promote a diplomacy “that preserves our environment,”  recognize “ecocide as a crime,”  while working for the protection of seabeds, defend the management of the Poles “as a common good for humanity,”  and support the creation of an international court for climate and environmental justice. The liberal coalition calls for “common work” on ecology but does not state what the key aspects of its proposal are, referring to a general need to pursue full employment and reindustrialization in the green transition.

Written by: Francesco Marino