French and Riviera News Wednesday 1st March 2023

News

Plan for farmers in France - French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne has unveiled a plan to farmers in France which would develop alternatives to the most widely used pesticides. The plan is aimed at coordinating French measures with those of the EU in an effort to offer farmers more visibility over the products they will be able to use in their fields. During a visit to "France's biggest farm", the Paris International Agriculture Fair Borne told farmers the government would seek to "identify new uses, new tools and new products to better protect crops, while preserving our biodiversity”.

Nuclear Energy - Eleven European Union nations including France have agreed to "strengthen cooperation" on nuclear energy, which they said would help Europe move away from carbon-emitting fossil fuels. But the issue has divided Europe and several EU states are fiercely opposed, with Germany and Spain leading the criticism. Paris believes nuclear power can help the country and Europe achieve its climate objectives, especially to produce "green" hydrogen for transport and industry. France recommends long-term energy contracts at guaranteed prices that would benefit nuclear production but Germany is against such a move.

Limiting of building permits - It has been reported that mayors in the Var, particularly, in the Pays de Fayence wish to limit building permits due to the drought situation. However, the announcement made on Monday has caused quite a stir amongst the real estate ind