If the bill is approved by the Senate the ban could come into force in 2016, although it will not apply to re-usable or biodegradable bags.
The proposed Energy Transition Law also outlaw disposable plastic cutlery and crockery by 2020.
The French government estimates that shoppers use five billion carrier bags and 12 billion fruit-and-veg bags each year.
Plastic bags are often blamed for polluting countrysides and marine ecosystems, and have been banned in Haiti and Bangladesh.
Some European countries (such as Ireland and Denmark) have thus far imposed taxes on bags, which have reduced their use and helped change regular shopping habits.
Supermarket chains have reduced their plastic bag use over the past decade in a voluntary agreement, falling from an estimated 10.5 billion in 2002 to 700 million in 2011.
Martin Kersh, Foodservice Packaging Association director, criticised the proposed law, saying it singled out plastic plates, cutlery and possibly cups on the perceived basis of meeting reduced carbon targets.
He added that the decision to ban plastic carrier bags could lead to other forms of packaging banned in the future.
”None of these developments recognise the work undertaken by the retailers and the packaging supply chain to recover used packaging. We must work to protect the principle of free choice and the unrestricted movement of goods within the EU.”
