A public sector boss who used to work in the economy ministry and a private sector boss finding common ground over the same frustrations is a powerful statement. "It's hell to invest in France, for regulatory reasons. The number one obstacle to decarbonization today is bureaucracy," said the CEO of French public utility company EDF Luc Rémont on Tuesday, December 10, at the French Electricity Union congress in Paris. "Here in France, I have 500 renewable energy developers who are struggling to make 300 to 400 megawatts a year. In the US, I built 2 gigawatts in one year. I can't continue to invest in a country [...] for such a low return," warned Patrick Pouyanné, the CEO of TotalEnergies, calling for more "simplified processes."

They're not the only ones. The reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral, on Saturday, December 7, after five years of titanic rebuilding work, was a perfect example of this theme. The liberal economist Nicolas Bouzou, interviewed by Le Figaro TV, pointed out that "exceptional laws have been passed so that the craftsmen of Notre-Dame don't have to deal with the constraints that bug them [...] all year round."

You have 85.26% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.