Olympic Law Approved: UK Parliament Update

The deputies largely approved on Tuesday February 3 the bill aimed at facilitating the organization of the 2030 Winter Olympic Games in the Alps, before the vote of the senators which should allow its final adoption on Thursday.

Parliamentarians from both chambers reached a compromise last week on this text, which notably includes temporary exemptions from common law in matters of town planning, work or security.

The agreement text, which contains 49 articles, represents “a toolbox that is essential to the successful delivery of the Games”greeted Sports Minister Marina Ferrari. It was adopted by 390 votes to 99. The rebellious deputies and the environmentalist group voted against, as did some communist deputies.

The environmental issue was particularly debated throughout the examination. The socialist Belkhir Belhaddad welcomed the addition in the text of an obligation for the organizing committee of the Games to publish a “action plan to reduce waste production and the use of single-use plastic”.

Towards “sober” games

He also welcomed the compromise found on the issue of land artificialization. “The artificialization linked to the Alps-2030, or around 20 hectares, will be well counted” in the quotas for the zero net artificialization objective (ZAN) “but at the national level”underlined the minister. The idea being not to penalize the municipalities concerned.

“The ambition is to deliver the most sober games in the history of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games”she insisted, in particular by reusing “equipment which is existing today, which we are going to renovate”. But these arguments are far from having convinced La France insoumise, which had tabled a rejection motion that was largely rejected.

“These games will lead to the ever greater destruction and artificialization of our mountain ecosystems, (…) already heavily weakened by the consequences of climate change”launched Jean-François Coulomme (LFI). “The green Olympics are a real hoot. »

The text also includes a security component criticized by the left. In particular the extension until 2027 of the experimentation of an algorithmic video surveillance device, of which a test phase launched on the occasion of the Paris-2024 Olympic Games ended in March 2025. But also the possibility for private security agents to carry out visual inspections of vehicles and their trunks.

The ecologist Jean-Claude Raux also criticized the possibility opened up by the text, during the Games, “to mobilize social housing and young workers’ homes” or “to return to Sunday rest”.