Respire, the French clean air advocacy group, have launched a class action for cessation of breach against the French government, following formal approval of an amendment to abolish the country’s Low Emission Zones.
The National Assembly voted to abolish the LEZs in May last year, an amendment which was officially approved by the Joint Committee earlier this week.
Announcing their legal challenge, Karima Delli, president of the Respire association said: ‘By abolishing the LEZs without any credible alternative, the State is choosing to sacrifice the health of the most vulnerable, starting with children.
‘In the Ile-de-France region, too many young people grow up with asthma, respiratory problems or chronic pathologies directly linked to air pollution. Protecting children should be an absolute red line. With this class action, Respire refuses to allow their right to breathe healthy air to be violated any longer.’
Respire will be represented in their action by Julien Bayou an activist, lawyer and former politician, using a new legal tool to take the government to court.
Specifically, the action has been made possible by a law passed in April 2025, under which a ‘class action for cessation of breach’ allows a group to sue to stop an illegal situation, in this case, illegal air pollution levels.
The lawsuit states that France has violated a European air quality law from 2008, arguing that the government has no real, credible plan to meet legally required clean air targets by 2030.
Respire wants a judge to order the government to create and implement an effective plan to clean the air within six months.
The group are also calling for an independent watchdog to supervise the process, to ensure the government follows through;
Tony Renucci, CEO of Respire said: ‘It is time to set the record straight and remind the State that it must protect the health of the French. Our class action will force him to finally take his responsibilities!
‘With Julien Bayou, we are launching this class action so that the judge can replace the insufficient action of the State. We are asking for concrete measures within 6 months, under the control of independent experts.’
Julien Bayou, added: ‘With this class action, the Respire association is launching a legal action that goes beyond the recent symbolic victories. It is a question of concretely forcing the administration to act without delay for the health of all residents.’
Photo: J Shim / Unsplash
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