Simplification law: the bill which enacts the end of ZFE adopted by the Assembly

On Tuesday, June 17, MPs adopted the bill to simplify economic life, which provides, among other things, for the end of Low Emission Zones (LEZs) . 275 voted in favor, while 252 voted against the bill.

The right and the RN-Ciottist alliance voted in favor, as did the MoDem and Horizons. The left voted overwhelmingly against. The Macronist group, Ensemble pour la République , had called for a vote against, hoping to send the more neutral senatorial version of the text back to the joint committee, which would have to produce a version common to both chambers.

Within Ensemble pour la République, eight deputies ultimately voted in favor of the bill, 64 against, and 14 abstained. On the National Rally side, 120 of the 123 elected members voted in favor of the bill, after clearly stating their desire to see the ZFEs disappear.

"I note the adoption of the simplification bill at first reading in the National Assembly. I regret that this text has been diverted from its original intentions of legitimate simplifications to lead to worrying setbacks on key environmental issues and public health challenges," commented Minister for Ecological Transition Agnès Pannier-Runacher on X.

Socialist Boris Vallaud, for his part, lamented the "climate skepticism" of some MPs who voted for the bill. "There is strong discontent on our part," he said, as the party continues to threaten a vote of no confidence.

"We have dealt a blow to the bureaucracy and challenged punitive environmentalism," claimed Matthias Renault (RN), claiming to "challenge the work of Emmanuel Macron."

"This is a text that weakens what we have built over the past eight years," retorted EPR MP Marie Lebec, while the government had unsuccessfully proposed a compromise by only imposing ZFE around Paris and Lyon.

For the ZFE, this episode is far from the last in the series. If the provision were to be maintained until the final adoption of the text, it could still be subsequently censored by the Constitutional Council. The measure, which stands out from the rest of the bill, could thus be rejected as a "legislative rider."