France lawmakers adopt environmental constitutional amendment News
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France lawmakers adopt environmental constitutional amendment

France’s National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament, adopted an amendment to the constitution on Tuesday concerning environmental and biodiversity preservation.

The amendment will be inserted into Article 1 of the France Constitution. Article 1 says:

France shall be an indivisible, secular, democratic and social Republic. It shall ensure the equality of all citizens before the law, without distinction of origin, race or religion. It shall respect all beliefs. It shall be organised on a decentralised basis. Statutes shall promote equal access by women and men to elective offices and posts as well as to position of professional and social responsibility.

The amendment will be added after the third sentence to say, “It guarantees the preservation of the environment and of biodiversity and the fight against climate change.” 391 lawmakers voted in favour of it with 47 against.

The government of France had earlier announced that this amendment will be submitted to the upcoming referendum following its adoption by both the National Assembly and the Senate. The referendum was announced by President Emmanuel Macron in December of last year during the Citizen’s Climate Convention, with the aim of amending the constitution towards better climate commitment.

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