France threatens record fine
France is threatened with a fine in the millions for excessive air pollution.
It's getting serious for France, very serious. The French Council of State, the country's highest administrative court, has given the government six months to take effective action against air pollution in several regions. If our neighbour does not comply with these requirements, France will have to pay ten million euros per six months. This is a considerable sum and unprecedented! The fine should help "force the state to implement a decision imposed by an administrative judge", the AFP news agency quotes a representative of the Council of State as saying. As early as 2017, that council had declared that it was proven that France was only partially fulfilling its obligations to improve air quality. As in other countries, the main causes of poor air quality are traffic, industry and agriculture.
According to estimates by the health authorities, 50,000 people die prematurely in France every year as a result of poor air quality caused by particulate matter and nitrogen oxides, among other things.
A lot to do, France, let's go!