After the matter was referred to it by the municipality of Grande-Synthe and several organisations, the Conseil d'État today ruled that the results already achieved and the sufficiently precise and credible measures taken by the Government mean that the target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% between 1990 and 2030 will be achieved. Indeed, the intermediate targets for 2019-2025 have been met. In addition, measures implemented up to 31 December 2023 should make it possible to achieve a reduction of 39.5% by 2030, and should be reinforced by additional measures adopted since 2024. For these reasons, the Conseil d'État considered that the injunctions it issued to the Government in 2021 and 2023 have been implemented, and, therefore, closed the case.
In July 2021 (1) , after the matter was referred to it by the municipality of Grande-Synthe and several organisations (Notre Affaire à Tous, Oxfam France and Greenpeace France), the Conseil d'État ordered the Government to adopt all necessary measures to achieve a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 31 March 2022 compared with 1990 levels to comply with the targets set in French, European (the climate and energy framework) and international law (the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement).
In May 2023 (2) , the Conseil d'État ruled that, although additional measures had been taken and reflected the Government's determination to implement the 2021 decision, there was still no sufficiently credible guarantee that the greenhouse gas emission reduction targets could actually be met. It then ordered the Government to implement new measures by 30 June 2024, and to return a progress report detailing these measures and their effectiveness.
After reviewing the information submitted by the Government in support of its actions and the comments of the applicant organisations and municipality, the Conseil d'État held an oral hearing in July 2025, during which it heard from the parties and questioned the Haut Conseil pour le Climat (HCC). Following a hearing on 10 October, the Conseil d’État issued its decision today.
A greater reduction in greenhouse gas emissions than forecast for 2019-2025
The Conseil d'État noted that, on the date of the ruling, the interim greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for 2019-2025 had been met.
Based mainly on data published by the Centre Interprofessionnel Technique d'Etudes de la Pollution Atmosphérique [interprofessional technical centre for the study of atmospheric pollution, CITEPA] and the latest HCC reports, it noted that greenhouse gas emissions for 2019-2023 were lower than forecast in the reduction strategy adopted by the Government (3) , and that the latest data published showed that the level of emissions for 2024 and 2025 will also be lower than forecast for the first two years of the 2024-2028 period.
Measures that should make it possible to achieve the -40% target by 2030
Considering the measures taken and the results already seen, which demonstrate the effectiveness of the measures, the Conseil d'État deemed that its decision of July 2021 has been implemented in compliance with the objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% between 1990 and 2030.
It noted that the Government's simulation exercise, which incorporated the measures announced or adopted up to 31 December 2023, showed that greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 in the six sectors of transport, construction, agriculture, industry, energy and waste should fall by 39.5% in comparison with 1990 levels. As other measures have been implemented since 31 December 2023 (industry decarbonisation, energy performance for buildings etc.), the credibility of compliance with the emissions reduction strategy by 2030 was strengthened, with a sufficient safety margin.
However, the Conseil d'État emphasised that its decision did not rule on France's compliance with the new, more demanding targets (-55% by 2030) for reducing greenhouse gas emissions set by European legislation in 2023. Today's decision only concerned the Government's compliance with the injunctions issued in 2021 and 2023, based on previously applicable legislation.
(1) Conseil d'Etat décision No.427301 of 1 July 2021
(2) Conseil d'Etat décision No.467982 of 10 July 2023
(3) To achieve the objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% compared to 1990 levels, the Government had adopted a strategy for reducing emissions over four periods known as carbon budgets (2015-2018, 2019-2023, 2024-2028 and 2029-2033). Each of these included emission reduction targets.
Decision No. 467982, Grande-Synthe municipality et al., 24 October 2025