5. Public debate

During the "Grenelle de l'environnement" process, which came to an end in mid-2008, the organization of a public debate on the subject of nanotechnologies appeared necessary in response to the many questions raised by their development. In February 2009, the public authorities therefore mandated the Commission nationale du débat public (CNDP) to lead this debate, which was to focus on the development and regulation of nanotechnologies. Seven ministries co-signed the letter of referral: ecology and sustainable development, economy and industry, labor, agriculture, research, defense and health. A detailed report on the public debate, which ran from October 2009 to February 2010, is available on the CNDP website (see the Websites section of Pour en savoir plus). Although it was repeatedly disrupted by communities refusing to engage in debate, it is worth noting that this debate was certainly...