Elisabeth Borne will detail by the end of the week a “double device” for companies and communities that are not protected from soaring energy prices by the tariff shield, announced Wednesday the government spokesman, Olivier Véran.
The Prime Minister presented to the Council of Ministers all the measures adopted or under consideration by the government to “protect our entire economic fabric” and “leave no one by the wayside”.
The “tariff shield” introduced by the State, which limits price increases to 15% in 2023, aims to contain household bills in the face of the surge linked in particular to the war in Ukraine. Very small businesses and small local governments also benefit.
For the others, “there will be a double device that will be additional,” explained Olivier Véran to the press during the minutes of the Council of Ministers.
First, “a damper on price increases”, to “limit the impact”, will concern “most companies in our country, all communities but also hospitals, universities”, he said.
“As for large companies, as well as companies with high energy consumption, a window system will allow each situation to be addressed individually,” he added without further details.
“On these new devices currently under discussion with the European Commission, Elisabeth Borne will have the opportunity to present things in detail and in a quantified way by this weekend,” he explained.
In a letter to the Prime Minister consulted on Wednesday by AFP, the employers’ organizations U2P (Union of Local Businesses) and FNSEA (National Federation of Farmers’ Unions) stressed the inadequacy of the tracks so far advanced by the government.
According to the two organizations, the criteria retained at this stage (a floor price of about 300 euros per MWh to access aid on electricity and energy bills that represent 3% of turnover to access the window dedicated to energy-intensive companies) still exclude many companies they represent.
They are asking for the extension of the regulated electricity tariff to all very small businesses and not only those whose electricity meter has a power of less than 36 kilovoltamperes. This track was under consideration within the government a few days ago.
