France's "green economy" is flourishing as the government seeks to boost the sector to help arrest the country's economic slide amid the global financial crisis.

Last year, the French environment ministry announced a package to foster the development of renewable energy, which includes 50 items covering the fields of biology energy, wind power, terrestrial heat, solar power and hydroelectric power.

French Environment Minister Jean-Louis Borloo said the new planwas not only aimed at protecting environment, but also developing the economy and improving employment.

According to the plan, renewable energy will account for at least 23 percent of the whole energy consumption in France by 2020, which means the plan will save 20 million tons of oil annually in a country that faces a relative shortage of energy.

The French government believes the development of renewable energy is not only a high-potential business for enterprises, but also will help to create jobs.

In solar energy, the French government has set a goal of building at least one solar power plant in each region by 2011. Itis also encouraging the installation of solar panels on the roofs of public and private buildings. As the second largest producer ofrenewable energy, France predicted that the new plans would create 200,000 to 300,000 jobs by 2020.

While developing renewable energy, France also attaches great importance to energy saving and emission cutting, especially in the auto industry.

From the beginning of 2008, the government initiated the "New Auto Subsidy" plan, which provides every car owner who purchases anew low-emission and environmentally friendly car with 200 to 1,000 euros, while every car owner who buys a high-emission vehicle must pay up to 2,600 euros in taxation.

These policies have greatly stabilised the new private car market in France amid the global slowdown. Last year, the sales volume of the new private cars in France only experienced a slightdecline of 0.7 percent while other European countries suffered a 7.8 percent downturn.

The French government is also focusing on developing "low-carbon cars," such as electric cars and hybrid cars. French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced at the Paris Auto Show last year that the government intended to invest 400 million euros to research and develop clean-energy cars.

French economic analyst Guilleaume Mourand said that developing new-energy cars was a long-term strategy for large French auto manufacturers. The company that led in this area would have a better chance to dominate the future auto market and gain bigger profits, he said.

Nuclear power is also playing a vital role in France's green economy. France has two world-leading companies in nuclear power, Areva and Electricite de France (EDF). When French leaders pay visits to potential nuclear power markets, the officials of the two companies always accompany them to promote cooperation. Among the ongoing nuclear power projects, the EPR nuclear power plant gets the most attention. The French government anticipates huge benefits by developing and transferring the plant's advanced technology.

In May, French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said nuclear power was always a pillar for the French energy policy and had become a "historic opportunity" against the backdrop of the global financial crisis.

The industry was a key to French competence and the government would continue to support and boost its development, he said.

This viewpoint was echoed by Sarkozy, who said recently that the government would attach equal importance to both nuclear power and renewable energy.

(Xinhua News Agency August 20, 2009)