In order to adapt the French mechanism for the control of foreign investments in France (IEF) to current developments and challenges in the renewable energy sector, the decree of December 31, 2019 relating to foreign investments in France now includes the technologies involved in the production of renewable energies in the list of critical technologies.
Thus, R&D activities relating to these new technologies now come within the scope of IEF control. This modification should make it possible to strengthen the protection of essential activities to guarantee the greening of the French energy mix.
The decree also provides for modifications to the content of authorization or prior examination application files, and in particular completes the list of documents to be provided when submitting an authorization request in order to adapt it to the information. requested under the European cooperation mechanism set up by European regulation 2019/452 establishing a framework for the screening of foreign direct investments in the European Union.
These provisions will come into force on 1st January 2022 to allow the various economic operators and their counsel a minimum time to adapt to the new measures.