France targets fracking & flaring with ECA guarantee overhaul

(Reuters, Paris, 5 November 2019)  France is considering halting funding guarantees for energy projects abroad that involve fracking or flaring, according to a finance ministry report. The government aims to make its program of state guarantees for export financing more environmentally friendly and is dropping support for coal projects as a first step. Next year it will also look into stopping export guarantees for oil and gas activities that are banned in France, including fracking and gas flaring, the report submitted to lawmakers states. In the medium term, a ban on state guarantees for developing new foreign oil fields might also be considered.