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More should be done to overcome France’s ‘very bad image’ on the environment,
says a report from the French parliament. But the report is not just critical
of France. It accuses the whole European Community of ‘running out of steam’
on environmental issues.

The report was written by Marie-Noelle Lienemann, a socialist MP, and
Roland Nungesser, a member of the right-wing RPR party. Their main complaint
is that the environment is considered as a separate issue when it should
be taken into account in all areas of policy making, including transport
and agriculture.

For example, road traffic could double when restrictions on road haulage
are eased in 1992. ‘The Commission has never been able, or never known how,
to propose a coordinated transport policy which takes ecological factors
into account,’ they say.

When the Community does introduce a new measure, individual countries
often simply ignore it. A 1987 rule that enabled governments to compensate
farmers who practise environment-friendly farming methods was ‘hardly put
into effect at all’ in some countries, including France.

Other measures fail because they are too stringent, says the report.
For example, it suggests that the limit on nitrates in drinking water, at
50 milligrams per litre, is ‘hard to respect’.

On France’s shortcomings, the report highlights how few French officials
are working on environmental issues. One French diplomat represents France
on all green issues and research, while the Dutch and Danish delegations
each have two for environmental affairs. There are no high-ranking French
officials within the European Commission’s Environment Department.

Despite the scathing criticism, the report insists that France’s record
is not as bad as its reputation. It points out that most of the 41 charges
against France for infringing Community law concerned ‘the difficult question
of bird protection’. The hunting lobby has strongly opposed restrictions
on shooting birds.

France’s image was also ‘seriously damaged’ by the Peugeot car manufacturer’s
objections to Community rules on exhaust pollution for small cars, which
are the mainstay of French production. ‘Instead of slowing down the adoption
of the legislation, we should have made proposals for cutting pollution
from more powerful vehicles,’ argue Lienemann and Nungesser.

The two MPs conclude that France should now play an active role in shaping
Europe’s green policies. They oppose the idea of a Community-wide green
police force, and recommend instead a system of ‘national correspondents’
to check that Community measures are applied in each country. They also
back the idea of an environment fund and polluter-pays taxes.