Soil concreting: the Senate adopts its relaxed vision of "zero net artificialization"

Examined in its first reading in the upper house last week, the text by Senators Jean-Baptiste Blanc (Les Républicains) and Guislain Cambier (centrist) was overwhelmingly approved in a formal vote, with 260 votes in favor and 17 opposition votes, mainly from the Green Party. The Socialist group abstained.

The senators' initiative aims to reshape the "zero net artificialization" (ZAN) law, which dates from 2021 and imposes land sobriety at the national level by 2050, to stop urban sprawl and preserve natural and agricultural land.

This major ZAN objective for 2050 is not called into question in the text adopted on Tuesday. However, an interim deadline, which planned to reduce land artificialization by 50% in 2031 compared to the 2011-2021 period, has been removed, replaced by a "milestone" set for 2034, the cost of which will be "differentiated" locally, at the discretion of local authorities.

This flagship measure, advocated by the right and centrists who criticize the constraints that the ZAN imposes on local elected officials, has been strongly criticized by a section of the left, who fear an "unraveling" of the objectives.

The government, which is in favour of easing restrictions for the regions, also opposed this measure, assuring, through the Minister of Regional Planning, François Rebsamen, that a national interim objective was "indispensable".

The ministry nevertheless welcomed in a press release "the useful relaxations" of the text, "so that the ZAN is no longer perceived as a constraint but as a lever for development."

In a joint statement published on Monday, several environmental protection associations such as the Foundation for Nature and Man (FNH) and France Nature Environnement (FNE) denounced a "concrete permit" in this text which, according to them, calls into question "the very principle of reducing artificialization."

This argument was echoed by Macronist MP Sandrine Le Feur, who is leading a parliamentary mission on the issue in the National Assembly. She deplored on X "an unacceptable unraveling of the ZAN": "We will not allow this to happen in the National Assembly," she wrote, even though MPs are expected to take up the text before the end of June.

Among the other measures contained in this text, the power of local elected officials is increased: they will be able to more easily force the region to review its de-artificialization objectives, and they will be given room to exceed their theoretical land envelope by 20% - or even more with the agreement of the prefect.

Industrial projects as well as certain social housing constructions and other infrastructure linked to water networks would also be exempt from ZAN calculation until 2036.