At the end of May, France’s Constitutional Council struck down the provision that would have removed the low-emission zones, citing procedural grounds. As a result, the current framework remains unchanged and road hauliers will continue operating under the existing requirements.
In April, lawmakers adopted a bill that included the abolition of ZFE. The Senate backed the text by 224 votes to 100, one day after a vote in the National Assembly.
The move triggered debate among politicians and across the transport industry. Low-emission zones have been in place in France since 2019 and were expanded in 2021 under the climate law. The policy is designed to progressively restrict the most polluting vehicles in the largest urban areas in an effort to improve air quality.
At the time, many observers said France was moving against the direction of travel in much of Europe, where similar restriction schemes are being expanded and tightened.
Constitutional Council blocks the repeal
The repeal will not take effect. On 21 May, the Constitutional Council invalidated the article that would have abolished ZFE. The judges said the provision was not directly linked to the main purpose of the bill — aimed at simplifying economic life — and had been added during parliamentary proceedings.
The Council said it amounted to a “legislative rider”, meaning a measure insufficiently connected to the act’s original intent. In practical terms, France’s low-emission zones remain in force and the rules do not change.
Hauliers call for stability
The French road haulage organisation FNTR says it does not dispute the environmental objective behind ZFE.
However, the federation has repeatedly criticised how the system is implemented, pointing to the lack of consistent nationwide rules, different roll-out timetables between metropolitan areas, varying exemption lists, and insufficient support for companies facing a costly fleet transition.
“FNTR has never questioned the environmental purpose of this measure. However, we have repeatedly highlighted the practical difficulties: no national harmonisation, different implementation calendars depending on the metropolis, different exemptions across regions, and a lack of appropriately tailored support for businesses,” the federation said.
Operators have already invested heavily in cleaner vehicles
FNTR also notes that many operators have already invested to bring fleets into line with environmental requirements.
In some cases, spending on new vehicles or upgrades has reached hundreds of thousands of euros. For businesses, the federation argues, predictability and legal certainty are becoming as important as the rules themselves.
“The Constitutional Council’s decision maintains the existing regulatory framework for ZFE at a time when companies above all expect stability, predictability and concrete support to carry out the energy transition effectively,” the organisation said.
The ZFE debate continues
Although the attempt to abolish the low-emission zones has failed, the dispute over their future is not settled.
FNTR says it will continue to push for a transition model that balances environmental goals with the economic realities faced by transport companies.
For now, France is sticking with ZFE. Instead of a full policy U-turn, the country remains at the status quo, shifting attention back to how the rules are applied locally and what support is available to firms undertaking costly fleet modernisation.
