Member State fact sheet: France Integrated coastal management and climate change adaptation

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  The Law on National Commitment to the Environmentⁱ, also ’Grenelle 2’ (No 2010-788, Portant Engagement National pour l’Environnement – ENE, last amended in March 2012) provides the overarching legal and institutional framework for France’s national commitment to the environment. It covers a broad range of issues including energy efficiency, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, transport, urban planning, waste and sustainable development. Chapter V contains dispositions concerning the sea. The law ensures the transposition of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive.
  

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  Law n° 2009-967 of 3rd August 2009, also called ‘Grenelle I’ (Loi de programmation relative à la mise en œuvre du Grenelle de l'environnement, last amended in December 2012)ⁱⁱ sets out programming relative to the implementation of the elements agreed under the Grenelle de l'environnement, a national multi-stakeholder process. The most relevant chapters are Chapter I on Climate Change and Chapter IV on Integrated Management of the Sea and Coasts. Chapter IV emphasizes the need for a global approach in the management of coasts and seas, and the need to integrate socio-economic concerns and an ecosystem based approach into state policies.
  

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  The Environmental Codeⁱⁱⁱ (Code de l’environment, last amended in November 2013) contains provisions related to planning and institutional organisations on environmental issues and defines the general rules applicable for monitoring and environmental impact assessments, access to environmental data, protected zones. Specific provisions stating the strategic guidelines on sea and coastal management in articles L219.1-6.^iv
  

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  The Code on Urban Planning (Code l’urbanisme, last amended in October 2013)^v sets the overarching framework for urban planning. Chapter VI, articles L146.1-9,^vi contain specific provisions on the construction and use of coastal areas.
  

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  Law n° 86-2 of 3^rd of January 1986 on the planning, protection and valorisation of the coast (Loi relative à l'aménagement, la protection et la mise en valeur du littoral, last amended in December 2010)^vii.
  

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  Decree n° 2011-637 of 9 June 2011 on the functions, composition and functioning of the National Council of the Sea and Coastal areas.^viii
  
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  Decree n° 2011-492 of 5 May 2011 on the action plan for the marine environment (last amended in February 2012)^ix.
  
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  Decree n° 2004-309 of 29 March 2004 (Last amended in December 2011) on the procedure for delimitation of the sea shore, the lands reclaimed from the sea and the transverse boundaries of the sea at river mouths.^x
  
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  Decree n° 2010-130 of 11 February 2010 (last amended in February 2012)^xi. This Decree provides for the administrative organization and the missions of France’s Inter-regional Sea Directorates.
  
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  Decree n° 2009-235 of 27 February 2009 on the organization and tasks of the regional offices of Environment, Planning and Housing (Last amended in September 2012)^xii.
  
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  Decree n° 95-1232 of 22 November 1995 on the Inter - ministerial Committee for the Sea and the General Secretariat for the Sea (last amended in April 2013)^xiii. Provides the tasks and the administrative organization of the Ministerial Committee for the Sea and the General Secretariat for the Sea.
  

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  Decree n° 86-1252 from 5th of December 1986 on the elaboration of Schemes for the Development of the Sea (Le décret N° 86-1252 relatif au conetenu et á l’élaboration des schemas de mise en valeur de la mer - SMVM) ^xiv, fixes the rules concerning the content and making of SMVM, defines the conditions to make the use of the sea and coast area compatible and aims at providing a coherent global planning.
  

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  Law n° 83-8 from 7th of January 1983 on the division of competences between communes, departments and regions. (Loi relative à la répartition des compétences entre les communes, les départements, les régions et l’Etat, last amended in December 2011)^xv.
  

At the central level, the competent authority for addressing ICM is the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy. This Ministry is also in charge of MSP. In addition, several other ministries contribute to the elaboration of nation-wide policy on sea and maritime affairs through their respective areas of competence.¹

National-level coordination on maritime policies, including coastal management, is ensured through the National Council of the Sea (Comité Interministérial de la mer - CIMer), and the General Secretariat for the Sea (Secrétariat Général de la Mer - SGMer). These two bodies are responsible for deliberating on government policy in the area of the sea in its various national and international aspects. They are responsible for setting the direction of governmental action in all areas of the maritime industry, including environmental protection and sustainable management of marine resources and sea coast. The Inter-ministerial Committee for the Sea is chaired by the Prime Minister and brings together the Ministers of Economy and Finance, Foreign Affairs, Defence, Industry, the Environment, the Ministers responsible for overseas territories, the budget, infrastructure and transport, fishing, tourism, planning and research.

In 2006 the General Commission in charge of Strategic Planning published the Poseidon report "Politique maritime de la France", which aimed at analysing and renewing the French maritime strategy.^xxi

France published its first National Adaptation Strategy in 2006^xxvi. The current framework document on climate change adaptation - National Adaptation Plan to Climate Change (PNACC) for the period 2011-2015 - was adopted on 20 July 2011.^xxvii This plan is part of the implementation of the Law Grenelle I and defines concrete operational adaptation measures up to 2015. It comprises 80 actions and 230 measures especially focusing on water management, health, forests and agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture, biodiversity, tourism, and spatial planning (including management of coastal zones, infrastructure etc.). An evaluation of the PNACC was conducted in July 2013 and will be completed by a review of the measures adopted in the regional Plans for Climate, Air and Energy.^xxviii

The National Biodiversity Strategy and its Sea Action Plan was first adopted in 2005 and revised in 2008. The strategy sets the framework for nationwide policy on biodiversity, defines and prioritizes objectives in key sectors (fishing, professional or leisure maritime transport, research and training, overseas, industry).

Examples of regional implementation of coastal areas include the Britanny Coast Charter, published in December 2007^xxix. The Charter was compiled after a long process of stakeholder consultations and provides the common goals and ways of achieving ICM priorities, looks at the ICM management in holistic sustainable development logic.

The national research programme LITEAU on sustainable maritime and coastal development, performs research to support the Ministry for Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy in the elaboration of policies and strategic goals. Since 1998 LITEAU has carried through over 70 research projects with financing amounting to 7.5 Million Euros.^xxx

Web-site on climate change adaptation made available at:

http://wiklimat.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/index.php/Portail:Wiklimat.
The web portal specifically addresses adaptation in coastal areas.
III.3 Awareness raising activities for ICM and adaptation

In the Grenelle process, extensive public consultations took place on the regional and national level.^xxxi More recently, in October 2013, the International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC) took place in Marseille.

France is a party to the Barcelona Convention and has signed and ratified the ICZM Protocol. France is collaborating on ICM with other countries of the Mediterranean under the Priority Actions Programme Regional Activity Centre (PAP-RAC) framework. Aspects of climate change, energy and maritime planning are treated in the framework of the Union for the Mediterranean.

France is a party to the Ramoge Agreement for Coastal Protection and Management, which covers the coast of the Liguria Region (Italy) and the neighbouring French Mediterranean coast as well as that of Monaco.