Court stops the construction of A69 motorway: a historic victory for the environment in France
In February 2025, after a fierce battle spanning several years, environmental activists scored a historic victory against the A69 express motorway project that was planned to link the cities of Castres and Toulouse. This unprecedented decision in France to cancel a major highway project marks a turning point in the consideration of environmental issues in relation to large-scale projects that are harmful to the environment.
As soon as work began in March 2023, a wave of outrage arose against this controversial project. The A69 express highway directly threatened to destroy 400 hectares of fertile farmland, hundreds of trees, and ecological corridors essential to local biodiversity.
In response to these threats, residents joined forces with the grassroots group “La Voie Est Libre” as well as with environmental organizations including Friends of the Earth Midi-Pyrénées, ATTAC, Extinction Rebellion, “Les Soulèvements de la Terre”, France Nature Environnement, the Confédération paysanne, and the “Groupe National pour la Sauvegarde des Arbres”. Together, they launched a campaign that quickly became emblematic. 2 years later, their victory marks a turning point in the consideration of environmental issues in France.
Ending large-scale, unnecessary, and top-down imposed projects
Alongside lobbying regional decision-makers who were in favor of the motorway, the battle was won in the courts. On November 20, 2024, a first victory was achieved when the public rapporteur issued a review in favor of revoking the project’s environmental permit, highlighting the absence of “compelling reasons of major public interest.”
On February 27, 2025, the verdict came down: the project is deemed illegal and must be canceled, granting victory to the opponents of the highway project. This decision sets an unprecedented legal precedent, reminding the French government of its obligations to protect biodiversity and combat climate change. It is the first time in France that a major highway project has been canceled for environmental reasons.
As Jean Olivier, president of Friends of the Earth Midi-Pyrénées, put it : “Not only will this useless, destructive, and irresponsible project not see the light of day, but it also strengthens environmental law. This decision must now have a national impact and be a game changer in the battle against all useless and top-down imposed projects.”
This victory is part of a broader movement to challenge large infrastructure projects that are incompatible with the current climate and ecological emergencies. Following the 2018 scrapping of the airport project in Notre-Dame-des-Landes near Nantes, the cancellation of the A69 motorway project confirms the legitimacy of environmental struggles in France and around the world.
The court decision makes it clear that environmental concerns and local voices can no longer be ignored because of short-term economic interests. Beyond this specific case, what is being called into question is the whole model of “artificialization” development, based on building-up of agricultural and natural land as well as the destruction of ecosystems.
It’s time to move away from our dependence on fossil fuels, and the decision handed down by the Toulouse Administrative Court reminds us that biodiversity and the public interest must be at the heart of public policy..
The struggle against the A69, an inspiring resistance movement
The struggle against the A69 motorway demonstrates how citizen action, supported by organizations and collectives and backed by a solid legal strategy, can sway decisions that seemed irreversible.
The battle was shaping up to be a tough one. The concrete and asphalt lobbies had a convenient ally in the multinational pharmaceutical and cosmetics company Pierre Fabre, which was based in the area and used all its influence to push for the construction of the motorway, even threatening to relocate its activities in the event of the project being canceled. In response, the government accelerated the start of construction work even though the courts had not yet ruled on its legality. And with good reason, as the project was criticized from the outset by the majority of residents. This toll road project, which required the downgrading of existing roads, was more a case of privatizing public infrastructure than a local development project.
The struggle succeeded in gaining significant media attention by deploying a wide range of tactics whilst securing public support. The most inclusive actions included peaceful, humor-filled demonstrations, cultural events in support of activists, and the collection of signatures for petitions. These activities were complemented by more radical ones, including land occupations (Zones à Défendre) and militants taking up residence in trees so as to delay the construction work, as well as hunger and thirst strikes to publicize their struggle. The campaign, which mobilized more than 100,000 people and attracted the attention of activists abroad, such as Greta Thunberg, has become one of the most iconic ecological and social struggles of recent years in France.
Friends of the Earth International joins activists, citizen groups, and the local Friends of the Earth Midi-Pyrénées group in celebrating this unprecedented victory, which paves the way for a more democratic and ecological world. As activists chant relentlessly: No to Tar and Asphalt!
Although that decision was briefly overturned, a new ruling on January 12, 2026, has once again halted the project on 46 plots located along the entire 53 km route. Legal battles may continue, but Friends of the Earth France Midi-Pyrénées will keep on fighting this destructive and unnecessary project until we achieve nothing less than victory: the final stop of the project.
