French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen has pledged to scrap the law that bans new oil and gas exploration in France if she wins the Élysée in 2027.
Speaking at the launch of her campaign in Orléans, central France, on October 25, the National Rally (RN) leader said she would abolish the so-called Hulot law. She called the legislation stupid and said it blocked the search for hydrocarbons on French soil.
Le Pen told supporters she wanted to make use of all of France’s natural and industrial resources. She said the country had to break with what she described as energy and industrial degrowth, which she claimed was leading it towards underdevelopment and economic ruin.
The proposal has drawn comparisons with US President Donald Trump’s “drill, baby, drill” policy, AP reported.
The law was passed on December 30, 2017 during President Emmanuel Macron’s first term and named after Nicolas Hulot, then environment minister. It bars new exploration permits on land and at sea and sets out a gradual end to oil and gas extraction in France by 2040, according to AFP.
Domestic output has long been marginal, covering about 1 per cent of national consumption when the law was adopted.
Some 64 oil and gas fields were still active in 2024, mostly in the Paris and Aquitaine basins, according to French outlet L’Info Durable.
Hulot argued at the time that France was the first country to take such a step and said he hoped others would follow.
The pledge came as the EU struggled with high fuel prices. On October 12, diesel cost €2.33 a litre in France, about 9 per cent above the EU average, according to the European Commission’s weekly Oil Bulletin.
On October 29, ahead of a meeting of EU energy ministers in Luxembourg, French economy minister Roland Lescure said Europe would release 42 million barrels of oil reserves over three months to ease prices, Bloomberg reported.
The RN has long attacked EU climate rules under the Green Deal, arguing they drive up costs for households and businesses. In Orléans, Le Pen also promised to cap France’s net contribution to the EU budget at €5 billion, according to Swiss broadcaster SRF.
Le Pen, 58, is making her fourth bid for the presidency and is seen as the favourite to succeed Macron, who cannot stand for a third consecutive term.
On July 7, the Paris Court of Appeal upheld her conviction for misusing European Parliament funds but reduced her ban from office, clearing her to run. She has challenged the ruling before the Court of Cassation, France’s highest court.
