France: Emmanuel Macron defends a European response to the energy crisis
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech after a videoconference on the energy crisis with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, at the Elysée Palace in Paris, Monday, September 5, 2022 AP - Ludovic Marin
Text by: RFI Follow
3 mins
After an exchange with Olaf Scholz, Emmanuel Macron defended this Monday, September 5, a European response to the current energy crisis.
He is in particular in favor of a reform of the price of electricity and opens the door to an exceptional financial contribution from certain companies in the sector.
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Following a videoconference interview with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, devoted to the energy situation in Europe, the French president held a press conference at the Elysee Palace on Monday.
He announced that France was going to increase its capacity to export gas to Germany and that the latter had agreed to deliver
electricity to France if needed
.
At the European level, “
we are in favor of common gas purchasing practices
”, explained the Head of State during a press conference.
In addition, "
if the Commission were to decide to put a ceiling on the price of gas purchased through the gas pipelines from Russia, France would support such a measure
", he added.
He also defended the principle of a “
European contribution mechanism
” for energy operators “
whose production costs are much lower than the selling price on the market
”, referring to
“
undue profits
”
.
This contribution, he explained, could be returned to Member States to finance national measures.
The French president also judged that “
the price (of electricity) must be formed in a more coherent way
” and advocated an increased fight against speculative practices on the energy market.
Already acute,
the energy crisis in Europe
took a new step on Friday with the announcement by the Russian public group Gazprom of the halt for an indefinite period of its deliveries by the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, which supplies several countries, including Germany.
The price of gas on the futures market in the Netherlands, which serves as a benchmark, gained up to 35% on Monday.
No gas pipeline between France and Spain
Emmanuel Macron also expressed his firm opposition to the relaunch of the MidCat gas pipeline project
(Midi-Catalonia) in the context of energy tensions linked to the conflict in Ukraine, believing that it did not respond to current issues.
"
I don't understand the short-term problem that we are trying to solve (...).
I do not understand how we would jump like Pyrenean goats on this subject
, ”said the French president.
“
I am not convinced that we need more gas interconnections, there is no evidence of a need today, tomorrow
,” he insisted.
However, he added, if Olaf Scholz or the President of the Spanish government Pedro Sanchez were to demonstrate to him the contrary, "
I am ready to review my position
".
Spain and Portugal have significant gas import capacities and the German Chancellor, in particular, again suggested the MidCat option in August to improve the interconnections of the gas network in Europe.
France has been opposed to this for a long time, citing in particular the cost of the project, and favoring the installation of new LNG terminals.
(with agencies)
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Energies
Economy
Emmanuel Macron
Germany
Spain
Portugal
France
European Union