French government seeks to catch up on wind power
France has launched an ambitious bid to boost its renewable-energy credentials and harness the power of the wind off its western coast. Ségolène Royal, who last month was appointed minister for...
View ArticleBarroso yields on energy efficiency, but battle still looms
José Manuel Barroso, the outgoing president of the European Commission, avoided a potentially embarrassing row with incoming president Jean-Claude Juncker today by agreeing a last-minute change to a...
View ArticleFrance and Italy in chocolate spread spat
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s wife and daughter visited the Nutella stand Wednesday at the Milan Expo. Normally, this wouldn’t attract much attention. But these aren’t normal times— not when...
View ArticleHeading to the Paris climate summit? Hold your nose
PARIS — World leaders gathering at the Paris climate conference won’t have to look far to find a pollution problem: The City of Lights is one of the dirtiest cities in Europe. Paris earned an F grade...
View ArticleVW got €4 billion in EIB clean technology loans
The Volkswagen Group received more than €4 billion in loans from the European Investment Bank over the last decade, with much of the money going to research aimed at developing cleaner engines. The...
View ArticleParis climate summit still on
The COP21 global climate change summit will go ahead in two weeks as scheduled, with top leaders from Europe, the U.S. and elsewhere confirming that they will be in Paris despite the terrorist attacks....
View ArticleEU thwarts French plastic bag ban — for now
The European Commission has thrown a wrench into France’s plans to ban single-use plastic bags by January 1. French Environment Minister Ségolène Royal wanted to publish a decree this month to start...
View ArticleHollande risks Green fury over airport project
NANTES, France — François Hollande’s troubled relationship with France’s Green Party is about to get a lot more strained — just when he needs its support for a likely 2017 re-election bid. The Greens,...
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François Hollande’s season in hell
PARIS — François Hollande is once again caught in a crisis of his own making, the target of both the Right’s fire and the Left’s fury, in a dispute over policies he seems wary of explaining or...
View ArticleWeedkiller debate rages on with Europe to vote this week
A World Health Organization advisory group concluded Monday that the world’s most widely used weedkiller is not likely to cause cancer. So is the debate over? That seems doubtful. The global health...
View ArticleSaving the planet one transatlantic flight at a time
The EU on Tuesday begins a 48-hour race against the clock to keep the finalization of its signature climate policy achievement — ratification of the Paris climate deal — from turning into a...
View ArticleEuropean Parliament approves Paris climate deal
The European Parliament Tuesday approved the EU’s ratification of the Paris climate agreement, paving the way for the deal’s entry into force. The agreement was endorsed by 610 MEPs, while 38 voted...
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François Hollande’s last, lonely months at the Élysée
PARIS — When the president feels lonely and bored in the Élysée Palace on a Sunday afternoon, he might text a friend: “Passe me voir” — Come see me. It’s hard to turn down such an invitation. But in...
View ArticleEmmanuel Macron says no deal with Socialist ‘party machine’
PARIS — Emmanuel Macron issued a stern message to his French Socialist former colleagues on Thursday — I’m my own man and I don’t need the support of the “party machine.” The former economy minister...
View ArticleBrussels wants ministers to shoulder policy responsibility
The European Commission is pushing to make the EU’s obscure decision-making processes more accountable by forcing ministers, not national experts, to vote on technical issues. Such a move is the latest...
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The next French president’s nuclear problem
France’s next president is in for a big nuclear headache. He or she will have to figure out how to either extend the life of or shut down 58 reactors fast approaching retirement age and keep the...
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French debate zingers over the years
It’s all about the zingers. Getting in a well-placed jab during a televised debate can make or break a presidential campaign. And keeping cool is sometimes half the battle, as Richard Nixon learned to...
View ArticleContinent’s press looks on at ‘Brexit bedlam’
UK British papers surveyed the fallout from a day of high drama, as U.K. Cabinet ministers refused to support the U.K.-EU Brexit deal and Prime Minister Theresa May vowed to push the deal through her...
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A Royal comeback for the French left
PARIS — As the French center left stares into a bleak future, a figure from its past is offering herself as a savior. Ségolène Royal, the 2007 Socialist Party nominee for president, is back on the...
View ArticleSarkozy accused of racism over ‘monkey’ comments
PARIS — Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy faced heavy criticism for using the word “monkeys” before mentioning a controversy over racist language in a TV interview. “[There’s] this will of the...
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Macron’s new (not so) green team
French President Emmanuel Macron has named a trio of female technocrats and a team of close allies to drive his climate agenda — but critics say the new team brings more industry ties than green...
View ArticleSpain to France: Our tomatoes are better than yours
BRUSSELS — Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez says France’s tomatoes just can’t ketchup to his country’s produce. During the past week French politicians, under pressure from striking farmers, have...
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French PM Barnier needs 4 types of ministers if he’s going to survive
PARIS — Getting the job might have been the easy part. Having been named France’s prime minister after an almost two-month political impasse, Michel Barnier must now form a government that reflects...
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