The French parliament has approved the abolition of low-emission zones (LEZs), restrictions that had barred older, more polluting vehicles from entering major cities since 2019. The move, passed as part of a broader economic simplification bill, could see nearly three million of the most polluting vehicles return to urban roads, raising concerns about air quality. The decision is not yet final, however, as socialist, green, and centrist lawmakers have referred it to the Constitutional Council (France's highest body for reviewing legislation), arguing that scrapping environmental traffic rules has no place in an economic simplification law.