The Grenelle Era: Participation and Ambition

The Grenelle Environment Forum (2007)

President Nicolas Sarkozy's Grenelle Environment Forum represented France's most ambitious attempt at participatory environmental policy-making. Named after the 1968 Grenelle negotiations between government, employers, and unions, it brought together five colleges: state, local authorities, employers, unions, and environmental NGOs.

The six-month process involved thousands of participants in working groups addressing climate, biodiversity, health-environment links, production and consumption patterns, democracy and governance, and competitiveness and employment. The inclusive approach generated broad consensus on ambitious environmental objectives.

Key commitments included reducing greenhouse gas emissions 75% by 2050, stopping biodiversity loss, reducing pesticide use 50% by 2018, and developing renewable energy. The process demonstrated possibilities for environmental democracy, with diverse stakeholders finding common ground.

Grenelle Laws: Achievements and Limitations

The Grenelle I (2009) and Grenelle II (2010) laws translated forum commitments into legislation. They introduced important measures: energy performance requirements for buildings, expanded public transportation, ecological taxation reforms, and biodiversity protection tools.

However, implementation fell short of ambitions. Economic crisis and industry lobbying weakened many provisions. Pesticide reduction targets were delayed. Nuclear power's role remained unchanged despite renewable energy commitments. The carbon tax, centerpiece of ecological taxation, was struck down by the Constitutional Council.

The Grenelle process revealed both potential and limitations of participatory environmental governance. While generating consensus on objectives, translating these into concrete policies faced political, economic, and administrative obstacles. Stakeholder participation could not overcome structural power imbalances favoring economic interests.