The powerful Minister of Economy of France,

Bruno Le Maire

, puts the Spanish Government as a bad example in the European Union in controlling the price of electricity to avoid suffering to households.

In statements released this Saturday by his Ministry, Le Maire calls on the French press to "look at what is happening in Spain or in the United Kingdom with electricity bills", because, according to his estimate, it has risen "more than 60% in the last year", while in France they have done so by 4%.

The minister, one of the most veteran currently in the Council of Ministers of Economy and Finance of the EU (Ecofin), thus claims that his measures to put a direct cap on household bills "are the good decisions" in contrast to the Spanish or, already outside the EU,

Boris Johnson

.

Le Maire has also underlined that French inflation is lower than in the rest of the large European economies.

Currently, half that of the Spanish.

His statements and data contrast with the rhetoric of his Spanish counterpart,

Nadia Calviño,

that the Spanish government is protecting citizens from inflation with effective measures.

"Look at what is happening in Spain, in the United Kingdom, with an increase in electricity bills of 60%, 70%, 80% and us, 4%. I am not saying that this rise is low, but I insist that you see how the president (

Emmanuel Macron)

and his government have cushioned the shock," Le Maire told reporters from Metz.

Although the price on the French wholesale market is currently much higher than the Spanish one, the impact on the bills of citizens and small businesses is much lower due to the cap imposed by the Macron government more than a year ago.

The Spanish Government has chosen not to put a stop to the bills, but to do so indirectly by lowering taxes or, more recently, with the so-called Iberian cap on the price of gas in the wholesale market.

Le Maire has made it clear that the current ceiling, which consumes huge public resources, will not be maintained after 2023, but has promised that bills will not rise sharply then.

"We have not hidden it, in January 2023 there will be increases in the price of gas and electricity, but they will be attenuated, as we have done for 14 months. We do not want inflation to translate into economic brutality against our compatriots," he said. .

The cost so far of the limit on bills at 4% has meant 20,000 million euros for the French coffers.

France is fully benefiting from the so-called Iberian cap, with an increase in imports of Spanish subsidized energy.

Conforms to The Trust Project criteria

Know more

  • United Kingdom

  • France

  • European Union

  • Nadia Calvino

  • Emmanuel Macron

  • Articles Carlos Segovia