Britain, France, and the European Union - Comparing Environmental Policies in 16 Countries - page 106

a few regional parties. They have 17 seats in the National Assembly and
are part of the ruling coalition with the Socialists. French elections are
determined by first past the post, as in the United Kingdom. Although this
makes it harder for a small party to win, they do occasionally. Furthermore,
the French have a runoff if no one gets a majority in the first round.
Officially, the authority of the national government is supreme and
centralized, penetrating every aspect of life. The unitary government in
Paris regulates everything in detail. The administrative bureaucracy has
continued since the days of Napoleon, displaying remarkable continuity
considering three devastating wars with Germany. Its centralization is
notorious. Its authority is enhanced by many experts in the bureaucracy:
the technocrats.
While France is not a federated republic like the United States, Canada,
and Germany, it is subdivided geographically into 96 departments (like
states or counties), dating to the Revolution. In 1972 22 administrative
regions were imposed on top of the departments to coordinate. More
authority was delegated to the regions in 1982. While the departments
and regions have elected councils, departmental prefects are appointed by
the national government. Most authority remains with Paris.
In 1971 the government, under the conservative president Georges
Pompidou, established the Ministry of the Environment and Protection of
Nature. This was the first such ministry on the continent. Over the years,
it has had many different names and configurations. Often it has been
more of a coordinating office than a ministry, and sometimes has been
combined with the planning or culture agencies.
Some environmental laws date back to the Napoleonic era. An 1810
decree addressed foul smells generated from workshops. An 1829 law to
protect fish was used to control water pollution. More recently, France
enacted a weak air pollution control law in 1961, a stronger water law in
1964, and a waste law in 1975. Over the following years it amended and
strengthened this legislation. The French parliamentary custom is to enact
sweeping laws of principles to guide specific provisions on air pollution,
water pollution, and so forth written by the technocrats in the bureaucracy.
The 1995 Barnier Law, named for the environmental minister, set out
general principles of the polluter pays, prevention at the source, the pre-
cautionary principle, and the public's right to information. These followed
the European Community's 1973 Environment Action Program. France
has incorporated many environmental provisions set by the EC-EU as that
body has adopted them.