Grenelle de I'environnement: Is France making up for lost time?

摘要

Grenelle de I'environnement was a broad negotiation process that took place between French national and local authorities and civil society (nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), trade unions, and employers) in the second half of 2007. Following the May 2007 presidential elections in France, the new French president Nicolas Sarkozy decided to organize a set of negotiation sessions regarding environmental laws in order to develop a five-year action plan on environmental policies. The process was conducted in three phases. First, during the summer 2007, six working groups met to exchange ideas and bring specific recommendations to improve the present situation (phase 1). The reports produced were then used as a basis for a consultation process with the public and members of the French Parliament (phase 2) held in September/October. Finally, a last set of negotiations were to take place in Paris at the end of October 2008 to finalize the action plan. This action plan includes almost all environmental protection sectors (climate, biodiversity, water, agriculture, and governance) and is now being implemented (phase 3). The fact that Grenelle took place is positive, but effective changes remain to be seen. Indeed, up to now, the action plan seems to emphasize only the need to adapt to environmental disorders. In terms of governance, NGOs have been widely associated with the process and some NGOs have criticised implementation phase.