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French press review 17 March 2016

Today's French press focuses on the refugee talks between the European Union and Turkey. Meanwhile, Le Monde looks at what a increase of the share of renewable energies could mean for the global economy.

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Libération

We start with  Libération, which reports on tomorrow's European summit on migration. The least we can say is that Libé is not a big fan of the agreement between the European Union and Turkey that, if accepted, will see the EU accept one refugee for every migrant it sends back to Turkey.

"What distinguishes a migrant from a refugee, it is the way we look on the situation in his country. If this has any bearing on our lives, there are chances that the migrant is indeed a refugee" writes the paper.

The paper points out that with this EU  agreement has lost sight of why it was created in the first place - for peace.

Another article, by writer Olivier Guez, argues that the European project has failed.

"Like haggard and distraught calves, we are looking at the train of history arriving at the station, heavy with threats" he writes.

La Croix

Catholic daily La Croix wonders if the EU can trust Turkey to take care of the flow of refugees. To answer that question, the paper asked two experts.

Kadri Gürsel, a Turkish journalist, says the Turkish government is using the crisis for its own benefits. "Erdogan's foreign policy is responsible for the refugee crisis and the expansion of the Islamic State" he writes.

But Europe is also responsible, Gürsel writes.

"By giving twice three billion euros to Turkey, Europe is financing the Turkish foreign policy that created this disaster. It must recognize its responsibility and accept refugees, a failure to do so will strengthen the authoritarian Islamist regime in Turkey" concludes the journalist.

"The outline of the draft agreement, as it stands, challenge the European concept of asylum and human rights" told expert Mathieu Tardis to La Croix. The "one for one" scheme defended by the European Comission will probably not work concludes Tardis.

Le Monde

Le Monde says renewable energies could help the economy recover...

The centre-left paper reports on a new report from The International Renewable Energy Agency. We already knew that doubling the share of renewable energies by 2030 would translate by a increase of the world's GDP by 0,6% to 1,1% explains Le Monde.

But according to new findings, bringing the share of renewables from 18 percent to 36% would mean saving between 1.100 and 3.800 billion euros.

You may wonder how that's possible...

"By reducing spending linked to pollution and climate change," says Le Monde. "This includes the cost, for health care system, of air pollution".

Even better, this "energy transition" could save up to 4 million lives every year. It won't happen without a drastic change of the world's energy policies though.

"Energy trajectories predicted for 2030 are still far from leading to a doubling of the share of renewables, since, cumulative national programs will represent a total of 21% instead of 36%".

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