PARIS (dpa-AFX) - As part of a major climate protection plan, France wants to make e-cars affordable for broad sections of the population. As President Emmanuel Macron announced on Monday evening, leasing of e-car models starting at 100 euros per month will be available for people with lower incomes starting next year. The offer is to be limited to vehicles produced in Europe. Accordingly, the exact modalities are still being worked out. As Macron said, the number of e-cars produced in France should increase to one million vehicles annually by 2027.

To encourage people to switch from cars to public transport, France wants to set up commuter rail networks in 13 metropolitan areas, Macron announced. In the border city of Strasbourg, a regional rapid transit network was recently launched.

Like Germany, France also wants to move away from gas boilers for heating and switch to heat pumps. By 2027, one million heat pumps should be produced annually in France and 30,000 installers trained, he said.

The measures are part of a multi-billion dollar "French ecology plan." The goal is to respond to climate change and its consequences, protect biodiversity and make do with limited resources, Macron said. A milestone goal, he said, is to reduce France's CO2 emissions by 55 percent by 2030 compared with 1990 levels.

In addition to frugality in the use of energy and water, it also involves technical innovations and a change in behavior among producers and consumers. A "green budget" envisages spending 40 billion euros in the coming year alone./evs/DP/he