Energy Transition Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher announced on Sunday forthcoming decrees to force air-conditioned stores to close their doors and reduce illuminated advertising.
“In the next few days, I will issue two decrees: the first generalizes the ban on illuminated advertisements regardless of the size of the city between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m.with the exception of airports and railway stations, and “the second prohibits shops from having their doors open while the air conditioning and heating are working“, said the minister to the Journal du Dimanche (JDD).
Leave the doors open,”it’s 20% more consumption and (…) it’s absurd“, justified Agnès Pannier-Runacher on RMC.
Cities like Bourg-en-Bresse, then Lyon, Besançon and Paris have taken municipal decrees since mid-July for air-conditioned stores to close their doors, on pain of a fine.
The government plans to generalize this to the whole country, with a fine of up to 750 euros, but it will initially focus on informing traders.
As for illuminated advertising, the current regulations distinguish agglomerations of more or less 800,000 inhabitants: it is prohibited between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. in France in those of less than 800,000 inhabitants. In more populated ones, the rules depend on the local advertising regulations (RLP) if there is one.
The current law also already requires that neon signs and store windows be turned off from 1 a.m.
The ministry could not specify on Sunday the content of the next decree, but explains that it will aim to “harmonize the rules“, without specifying the number of agglomerations today covered by an RLP or concretely how the controls and sanctions, up to 1,500 euros, will be implemented.
“The contours will be specified“when the decree comes out,”the idea is really that it is applicable from now on“, added the ministry.