It was one of the first measures announced by Barbara Pompili, barely three weeks after being appointed Minister for Ecological Transition. On July 27, 2020, Barbara Pompili decided to put an end to outdoor heaters in the public space, and then on terraces of restaurants and cafés. “Outdoor heaters in the public space, on terraces” will be banned, she said.
Explaining it is an “ecological aberration”, minister Barbara Pompili added at the end of the Defense Council for ecology on July 27: “We cannot air-condition the street in the middle of summer when it’s 30°C outside, nor can we heat terraces in the middle of winter, for the simple pleasure of staying warm while drinking your coffee on the terrace.”
But because of the health crisis and the difficulties met by many restaurateurs, the ban was not to be implemented before the spring 2021. This March 15, 2021, when the commission examined the climate bill, deputies eventually decided to spurn the ban of heated terraces to April 2022. Starting from Friday April 1, outdoor heating of terraces will be banned in restaurants, cafés, and bars everywhere in France.
The goal of this "extra time"? Providing a "more favorable horizon" to cafés and restaurants currently closed because of the Covid epidemic, draft bill spokesman Mickaël Nogal (LREM) explained.
As for delegate minister Emmanuelle Wargon, she reminded that "heated terraces are an absolute nonsense" for the environment, speaking about "half a million ton of CO2 saved every year", thanks to this ban.
