Overview
- A joint commission of deputies and senators approved scrapping low-emission zones, with government allies, the right and the Rassemblement National delivering a 10–4 tally.
- The measure is not yet enacted, with final votes scheduled at the Assemblée nationale on January 27 and the Sénat on January 29, and the outcome remains uncertain after narrow earlier margins.
- Zones à Faibles Émissions restrict older, more polluting vehicles in 25 metropolitan areas; if repealed, an estimated 2.7 million vehicles currently limited could return to circulation.
- Health agencies cite data showing air-quality and life-expectancy gains in major cities, warn of about 40,000 premature deaths annually linked to pollution, and flag heightened EU compliance risks as standards tighten toward 2030.
- The repeal sits inside a broader simplification bill that also eases datacenter projects and adjusts land-use rules, prompting political trade-offs as RN celebrates a win over perceived “social segregation” and environmental groups and left parties object.