Panel Rejects French Carbon Tax

BRUSSELS

The ruling is a blow to Mr. Sarkozy, who has sought to burnish his green credentials by holding international talks next year to seek agreement on emission cuts following the Copenhagen climate conference. Environmental groups have said they expect the talks to be held in Paris.

The Copenhagen conference, which ended without a timetable to reach a binding global agreement to curb greenhouse gas emissions, represented a humiliation for European

Union

leaders seeking to lead global efforts to tackle climate change.

Mr. Sarkozy said he strongly favored the tax, scheduled to go into force on the first day of the new year, as a way to shift France onto a low-carbon path and modify the way the state collects revenue.

NY Times