France's CESE Calls for Strengthened Evaluation of Environmental Policies
CESE calls for enhanced evaluation processes for environmental policies in France to rebuild public trust and ensure accountability.
Key Points
- • CESE adopted unanimous recommendations to improve environmental policy evaluations.
- • Fourteen proposals focus on criteria setting, stakeholder involvement, and using evaluations effectively.
- • The abrupt halt of an electric vehicle program highlights inadequacies in current evaluations.
- • Rapid introduction of garments raises concerns, leading to new anti-fast-fashion legislation.
The Conseil Économique, Social et Environnemental (CESE) has unanimously adopted recommendations aimed at enhancing the evaluation processes of environmental public policies in France. This decision, made on June 11, 2025, is in direct response to the growing public distrust surrounding governmental environmental decisions. The CESE's recommendations comprise fourteen proposals organized into three main areas: establishing clear criteria for evaluating policies, involving stakeholders in the evaluation process, and optimizing the incorporation of assessment findings into public decision-making and discourse.
One significant recommendation is to systematize ex ante evaluations for national public policies with budgets exceeding a certain threshold. Moreover, the CESE stressed the necessity of academic work to create a reference framework addressing the costs associated with inaction on environmental issues, emphasizing a data-driven approach to bolster public confidence in policy decisions (Research Item ID: 4539, 4532).
Background context reveals challenges within the current framework of environmental policy review, highlighted by the abrupt halt of the electric vehicle leasing program due to overwhelming demand, which illustrated failures in anticipation and capacity (Research Item ID: 4532). Additionally, concerns around fast fashion prompted the Senate's adoption of an anti-fast-fashion law, demonstrating the urgent need for a more coherent regulatory strategy moving forward.
The CESE’s report underscores that the ongoing evaluation of environmental policies is crucial for improved effectiveness and fostering accountability to citizens, as mandated since the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen in 1789. This call for rigorous evaluation aligns with broader goals to ensure that policies effectively address environmental challenges while restoring public trust.