France is known in Brussels as a spearhead of the environmental ambitions that it has pushed through the European Green Deal, a set of measures aimed at putting the EU on the path to ecological transition voted in recent years. Will this reputation last long under the new government? Antoine Armand, the Minister of the Economy, wants to review the fines that car manufacturers will be expected to pay if they fail to sell enough electric cars in 2025. They represent billions of euros at European level and hundreds of million euros on the French side. A fortnight ago, during the Paris Motor Show, the minister praised the efforts of French groups and promised that it was “not possible that sanctions would be imposed”. France is thus exploring “all flexibilities – in coalition with [ses] European partners” to avoid these fines. On Monday, the minister reiterated his request first in an interview with Les Echos, then in person with his European counterparts in Brussels. He asks the Commission for a solution so that manufacturers who have invested in electrification do not have to pay.
France
