“We feared the mountain would give birth to a mouse…” said Daniel Richard, president of the World Wildlife Fund France, referring to the skepticism that green groups had for the recent multilateral environmental negotiations in France, the Grenelle talks. There was much concern that President Nicolas Sarkozy’s “environmental New Deal” would turn out to be much ado about nothing.

Representatives of NGOs who participated in the discussions expressed deep reserves about the entire process, be it regarding the condensed timeframe of four months, or the lack of transparency and conflict of interests on issues such as pesticides and genetically modified crops. In Part I of the Sarko Eco-Show, I cited a few examples of the measures that will be presented to the French parliament within the next year. Those measures, which will have an impact in the realms of transportation and construction, were the result of consensus. Other topics, notably those within the realm of agriculture, were highly controversial.

Many environmentalists were worried that any propositions to increase organic farming or to reduce the use of pesticides would be watered down. After all, representatives of associations of pesticide producers were also present in the working groups, arguing for their interests. And yet when the final reports were made public, bitter disillusionment turned into gratified optimism.

School cafeterias will soon be required to offer organic food at least once a week. By 2010 organic farmland will triple from 2% to 6% of all agricultural land in France, and that increase will obviously benefit both human health, and the quality and yield of soils, as will a 50% reduction in the use of pesticides over the next ten years. The cultivation of genetically modified crops in France, including the contentious MON 810 corn variety, has been suspended.

Despite Sarkozy’s claim that “France is not behind” in environmental matters, there is substantial evidence indicating that the country is indeed lagging behind its neighbors on numerous fronts. A quick look at Organic Europe, a website dedicated or organic farming in Europe, reveals the latest statistics: in 2005 already 13% of farmland in Austria was organic, 11% in Switzerland and 8% in Italy. Other European countries such as Hungary, Austria and Poland, have moved faster to limit the cultivation of genetically modified crops. Similarly France is found to be lagging behind on fighting climate change and improving energy efficiency.

Nevertheless, the progress made during the Grenelle talks should not be underestimated or belittled. The proposed measures represent tangible improvements in France’s environmental policy and constitute a positive move toward a healthier and greener French society.

And yet, now that we’ve raised our glasses to the Grenelle talks and the results they produced, we must look forward. We must be vigilant. In addition to the question of financing, there is another reason to temper our enthusiasm: the nature, or rather the style of Sarkozy’s presidency.

Anyone who has been in France or been following the French media from abroad, will know that since he was elected last spring the man has played an inordinately large role, indefatigably dominating the scene. Indeed some independent networks have begun to highlight the excessive time devoted to Sarkozy in French media, and snigger at how easily he has succeeded in sidelining the other members of his government, pushing them far from the limelight.

Sarkozy is taking on a whole range of roles that are not necessarily part and parcel of his lead role as president. He pops up here there and everywhere, in places where we might expect to see an interior minister, or a foreign minister, or again an education minister. And each time he appears there is a ferocious fanfare surrounding his performance. Here we approach the core of the matter. Be it focused on education, labor laws, foreign policy or the environment, Sarko’s is us a highly publicized one-man show. With is such a whirlwind of hype, you inevitably wonder whether he will keep his word, and whether there is any substance to his style.

American readers may have heard of or seen the delayed broadcast of the interview with Sarkozy on “60 minutes”. When the CBS journalist asked about the circulating rumors of his separation from his wife Cecilia, the President called his press secretary an “imbecile” for organizing the interview, hastily removed his microphone while the cameras were still rolling, and stormed out. The journalist should not have asked such silly questions. Even if the public is interested, the President’s private life is not in the public interest. Then again, you cannot help thinking the man was asking for it, perhaps because it forms an indispensable side plot in the greater Sarko Show.

So what’s the moral of the story? The mountain didn’t give birth to a mouse, but it didn’t produce a lion or a bull either. Perhaps it was more of a fox, a light-footed animal that knows many things… but no, I’m beginnig to mix up my metaphors. The point is the Grenelle talks can be celebrated as an important step forward. But it’s just a first step. The French people must maintain the momentum.

And keep a sharp eye on the peacock strut strut strutting around, showing off his plumage this way and that. Make sure his proud display doesn’t get in the way of green action.

Alliance of Environmental NGOs

BBC on GMOs in Europe