The French state promises to help bakers affected by the energy crisis
French bakeries are very affected by the energy crisis.
© CC0 Pixabay/Sabine Schulte
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2 mins
The French State flies to the aid of bakers and threatens electricity suppliers.
The energy crisis is hitting these professionals hard, as they constantly use their energy-intensive ovens.
Bills are exploding.
Bruno Le Maire, Minister of the Economy, and Olivia Grégoire, Minister of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, received representatives of French bakers this Tuesday morning January 3, 2023. Result: an announcement of additional aid and promises to do better to save bakeries.
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Bruno Le Maire, Minister of the Economy, puts pressure on energy suppliers, explaining that they had to take their share of inflation.
For the moment, it is the consumers who pay, the small and medium-sized enterprises too, like the bakers received at the ministry in Bercy this morning.
And Bruno Le Maire wanted to call energy companies to order:
“
Today, I am saying it clearly: suppliers are not helping bakers and SMEs enough.
I ask energy suppliers to do more, to do better and to do it now
”.
The 33,000 bakers in France are currently suffering from bills which are quadrupling and which should increase further since they do not benefit from the tariff shield.
The Minister of the Economy reminded them of the existing aid schemes.
Not enough aid
A deferral of their social and tax charges has also been announced.
A start that satisfies Dominique Anract of the Confédération de la boulangerie-pâtisserie française.
But according to him, we must go even further: “
For a bill multiplied by ten or twelve, obviously not, nothing will be enough.
That is to say a business, even with all the aid or postponements, if it is multiplied by ten, it will not be possible.
How can we not have more bills like that, which are in fact the end of the bakery
?
»
Bruno le Maire received energy suppliers in Bercy on Tuesday afternoon, January 3.
Representatives of Engie, EDF, TotalEnergies, the CRE (Energy Regulation Commission) and organizations in the sector have "undertaken to provide payment facilities for companies that have cash flow difficulties", said declared Bruno Le Maire during a press conference.
"There will be a state guarantee," said the Minister of Economy and Finance.
Utilities have also agreed, on an exceptional basis for artisan bakers only, to terminate contracts free of charge when bills have increased prohibitively, in order to give the possibility of renegotiating.
🔴 LIVE |
Press briefing following the meeting with electricity suppliers on the impact of energy prices.
👇 https://t.co/OTyQiaC3t2
— Ministry of Economy and Finance (@Economie_Gouv) January 3, 2023
► Also to listen: The concern of bakers over rising energy prices
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