Critique of France's Energy Policy: A Call for Reevaluation Amid Legislative Failures
Nicolas Baverez critiques France's energy policy failures, highlighting legislative setbacks and governance issues.
Key Points
- • Nicolas Baverez criticizes France's short-term focus on energy policy.
- • The National Assembly rejected a significant energy transition law.
- • This rejection indicates broader governance crises in energy policy.
- • The failure of energy policy undermines France's sovereignty and economic future.
Amid a faltering energy policy and growing geopolitical tensions, Nicolas Baverez has voiced grave concerns over France's approach to energy management. In his recent article, he characterizes the French state as a 'nihilistic rentier,' discrediting its short-term focus and failure to honor the responsibilities towards both past generations and future sustainability. This commentary follows the French National Assembly's troubling rejection of a crucial energy transition law proposed by Senator Daniel Grémillet on June 24, 2025.
The proposed legislation aimed to create a structured path toward decarbonization by 2050, incorporating measures such as a moratorium on wind and solar energy developments and the potential reinvigoration of the Fessenheim nuclear power plant. However, the sparse attendance during the Assembly's decision-making process symbolizes a deeper crisis within France’s governing institutions. Baverez argues this reflects not just an inadequacy in the energy policy framework, but a broader governance failure that jeopardizes important national interests such as economic sovereignty and ecological responsibility.
This legislative setback comes at a time when France is grappling with various external pressures, notably from the EU's energy transition plans juxtaposed against the backdrop of geopolitical instability in regions like Ukraine and the Middle East. The abandoned energy strategy is seen as detrimental not only to France’s ecological ambitions but also to its capacity for reindustrialization, digital transformation, and overall national sovereignty.
In advocating for urgent policy reassessment, Baverez emphasizes the need for a coherent energy strategy that aligns with France's long-term goals while responding to pressing domestic and international challenges. The current trajectory, according to him, threatens to undermine both strategic interests and the nation’s economic future, highlighting the critical juncture at which France finds itself regarding energy governance.