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By Magdalena Kogutowska

Inventor and Chairman of the Red Bull energy drink company has something to smile about. After 12 years of not being able to sell in France and recently having had to change its recipe in order to gain access to the French market – it looks like Red Bull has finally been given the go-ahead to sell the original drink as it was meant to be.

According to recent reports, and also confirmed by Red Bull, an agreement between the French Minister of Finance, Christine Lagarde, and Dietrich Mateschitz was formed on 15 May. "Effective immediately" it allows the energy giant to sell its popular drink on French soil using the previously banned ingredient taurine, rather than the replacement, arginine, it had to use up until now.

The Austrian company intended to sue the French government for €300 million in compensation, but as the French gave in, the court case never happened.

In 2004 the European commission challenged the ban after Red Bull complained France was inhibiting imports. However, although the European Court of Justice ordered France to lift the ban unless it could prove the health risk, it also said that the French government had the right to ban Red Bull.

Lagarde explained the change of heart was due to the fact that the beverage was already sold in 25 out of 27 EU countries (it is banned in Denmark and Norway). The French Food Safety Agency (AFSSA) has published several warnings against Red Bull, claiming that excessive consumption of taurine can lead to behavioural problems.