Le Grenelle de LEnvironnement

In July 2007, the French government established six working groups to address ways to redefine Frances environment policy. The proposed recommendations were then put to public consultation, leading to a set of recommendations released at the end of October 2007. These recommendations will be put to the French parliament in early 2008.    The name of the process, "Le Grenelle de l'Environnement", refers to a 1968 conference when government negotiated with unions to end weeks of social unrest.    The six working groups addressed climate change, biodiversity and natural resources, health and the environment, production and consumption, democracy and governance, and competitiveness and employment.    Recommendations include:    - invest Eur 1 billion in clean energy over the next four years as part of wide-reaching environmental plan to cut emissions of greenhouse gases, including proposals for ecological taxes;  20% reduction in Frances energy consumption by 2020 and a boosting of the use of renewable energy, such as wind power and biofuels, by 20% by 2020;  - freight be transported on new high-speed rail lines and waterways rather than highways; and  - a series of green taxes including a tax on the most polluting vehicles, as well as a tax on transport trucks crossing Frances borders.

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