French presidential contender Nicolas Sarkozy outlined his environmental policies on Thursday in an effort to court the green vote ahead of the 2007 presidential election.
PARIS -- French presidential contender Nicolas Sarkozy outlined his environmental policies on Thursday in an effort to court the green vote ahead of the 2007 presidential election.
The centre-right politician, who is France's interior minister, also met former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore who is leading a campaign to raise awareness about global warming.
Sarkozy said he did not believe that discussion of environmental issues should be limited to green parties.
"Sustainable development and the defence of the environment is such a fundamental question that it should not be owned by one political party," he said in a speech to the Senate, the upper house of parliament.
He proposed doubling environmental funding in the budget over five years. He said he would introduce a tax credit for companies with environmentally friendly policies and create a new ministry to oversee the environmental efforts now carried out by several ministries.
He proposed a tax for trucks driving through France to avoid Germany and Switzerland. The extra money would be used to improve railway lines and river transport, he said.
Sarkozy met Gore who was travelling through Paris.
The pair "shared the need for urgent and the need...for an increase in pollution tax and the need to commit...from 2010 to a new international treaty to fight against climate change", the ruling UMP party said in a statement.
France's environmentalist parties have traditionally been weaker than similar groups in countries such as Germany. However, green issues have moved up the political agenda with politicians routinely brandishing their environmental credentials to try to win votes.
Source: Reuters
Contact Info:
