Water plan: what is the "progressive pricing" wanted by Emmanuel Macron?

Baptiste Morin, edited by Gauthier Delomez 19:43 p.m., March 30, 2023

This is one of Emmanuel Macron's flagship announcements on Thursday: the generalization of "progressive pricing" of water. The head of state was traveling to Savines-le-Lac, in the Hautes-Alpes, to unveil his plan dedicated to this precious resource. And this announcement is based on an observation that many French people share: it is very difficult to know precisely one's water consumption on a daily basis. In reality, everyone knows what they have to pay for in electricity or gas, but not in water. That is what would change with tiered pricing.

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Concretely, everyone would have their meter and would therefore pay according to their consumption. "You have a price that increases per cubic meter according to consumption thresholds," explains Alexandre Maillol, lecturer in economics at the University of Lorraine, at the microphone of Europe 1.

A system already in force in a dozen cities

The teacher explains: "For example, you have exceeded 75 m3. You will change the price for consumption between 75 m3 and the next bracket, which is called increasing pricing by blocks." To date, only a dozen cities have opted for this progressive pricing, such as Dunkirk since 2012. In this northern municipality, beyond 200 m3 consumed, rates increase sharply. As a result, water consumption in Dunkirk has been reduced by 10%.

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However, experts warn about the blind spot of Emmanuel Macron's announcement, who happen to be the professionals. Indeed, households represent only 20% of water consumption in France.