French MPs have just voted against the ban on the sale of combustion engines planned by the European Union by 2035. The subject is a sensitive one in France, where car manufacturers are concerned about the dangerous repercussions of this ban on their business. Yet how can the wishes of the voters be respected when European regulations are supposed to take precedence?
France had initially committed to ending the sale of new combustion engine cars by the year 2040. But this deadline was brought forward by a subsequent EU regulation that stipulates that this ban must come into effect as early as 2035.
The standard procedure, at the request of the government, involved a vote by MPs in favour of a bill containing various provisions to adapt French law to European law. But things did not go as planned. On Monday, February 17th, French MPs voted against the inclusion of this EU directive in French law. An institutional problem therefore arises, insofar as the principle of the primacy of European Union law over French law normally prevails.
The National Assembly chamber was very sparsely populated at the time of the vote. The result was achieved thanks to the commitment of the Rassemblement National (RN) group. The vote was won by 34 votes to 30—mainly RN MPs against an alliance of greens, Macronists, and far-left deputies from La France Insoumise (LFI). This was enough to fuel the media controversy over Marine Le Pen’s supposed ‘contempt’ for the environmental cause.
The RN MPs justified their vote by saying that they wanted to take the interests of the most modest households into account. “For the most modest families, the purchase of an electric car represents a cost that is quite unaffordable,” said RN MP Matthias Renault. “The European automotive sector, at this stage, is not ready for this transition.”
Unexpected support for the RN came from a Macronist MP who believes—contrary to the government’s opinion—that the debate is far from closed, even in Brussels, insofar as a progress report is planned for 2026. There is therefore no rush to incorporate this directive into French law.
Opponents of the RN emphasise that car manufacturers have not requested anything and have already committed to the path of electrification with the 2035 deadline in mind. While it is true that no formal protest has been issued by the industry, it is equally true that there is growing concern among professionals who can only note the low sales of electric vehicles and fear of competition from China.
Registrations of electric vehicles have been falling for some time. “Sales in this segment are in decline for the fourth consecutive month,” notes specialist magazine Journal de l’Automobile. Only registrations of non-rechargeable hybrid vehicles are resisting the fall. China’s aggressive policy of selling its electric vehicles at very competitive prices has led to the introduction of customs duties in an attempt to rebalance the market.
At the European level, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has promised to consult with car manufacturers and has announced an action plan starting in March to help them make the transition to electrification.
In the meantime, the principle of the primacy of European law effectively renders the vote of the French MPs devoid of any political consequence. The episode at least has the merit—if any further evidence were needed—of proving that the member states and the elected representatives at the national level are not, on this subject as on so many others, masters in their own homes.
