Paris, Feb 23 (.) The French right-wing party National Rally (.), led in parliament by Marine Le Pen, has filed a motion of no confidence against the French government over its new energy strategy extending to 2035, the party announced Monday.
“We are filing a motion of no confidence,” .’s parliamentary group said in a statement posted on X.
The move follows the publication on February 12, 2026, of Decree 2026-76 concerning France’s third multi-year energy program (PPE3). . lawmakers argue the government adopted the long-term energy roadmap without a parliamentary vote, calling the decree “an illiberal act against Parliament, and therefore against the French people.”
According to the party, the decree lacks a proper legislative basis. . cited provisions of France’s Energy Code, stating that a five-year law defining national energy policy objectives must first be passed before a multi-year energy program can be enacted by decree.
The party noted that not only was such a law never approved, but a related bill introduced in the Senate in April 2024 was rejected by the National Assembly in October 2025. As a result, . argues that the 10-year energy plan was adopted “without legislative foundation and therefore without democratic legitimacy.”
The statement also accused the government of yielding to pressure from the European Commission. . said the energy plan complies with the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive (RED III), which requires member states to reach a 42.5% share of renewable energy, or face legal action before the Court of Justice of the European Union.
According to the party, the directive has not yet been amended to classify nuclear energy as “decarbonized energy,” excluding France’s nuclear sector from counting toward the renewable target. . claims this has led the government to favor intermittent renewable sources such as wind and solar power in order to comply with EU requirements.
On substance, . described PPE3 as a “decline strategy” that accelerates intermittent energy development, misrepresents nuclear policy, and poses significant risks to public finances.
The party criticised plans to sharply reduce France’s final energy consumption, from 1,556 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2023 to 1,100 TWh by 2035, arguing that such reductions would accelerate deindustrialization. . said France should instead reindustrialize domestically to lower its overall carbon footprint, noting that more than half of French consumption-based emissions are linked to imports.
The plan foresees a fourfold increase in installed photovoltaic capacity, a fifteenfold increase in offshore wind capacity, and a doubling of onshore wind power. . argues this will increase France’s dependence on foreign suppliers, as the country does not manufacture wind turbines or solar panels domestically.
While the government has acknowledged a shift in nuclear policy compared to previous administrations, . said nuclear production in 2035 would still remain 12% below 2006 levels. The party also argued that no new reactors would be operational before the end of President Emmanuel Macron’s term, with the plan only identifying sites and the use of EPR2 reactor technology.
. warned that the energy plan could cost at least €300 billion ($353 billion), arguing that French citizens would ultimately bear the burden through higher taxes, levies or energy bills. The party also criticised what it described as the absence of a comprehensive government cost estimate, predicting that electricity prices in particular would rise.
“A government that continues to degrade public finances, increase debt and fail to defend the interests of its citizens and businesses deserves censure,” the statement concluded.
According to broadcaster BFMTV, the no-confidence motion is unlikely to pass, as left-wing parties oppose right-wing initiatives and the Socialist Party, whose support could prove decisive, has already indicated it will not back the measure.
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