As winter approaches, energy prices keep on rising.
Regulated gas prices will increase by 12.6% on October 1, which will have an impact on the purchasing power of households.
A few months before the presidential election, and while the government is committed to preserving purchasing power, the question of new aid measures arises.
"
We are working on additional measures
", confirmed Gabriel Attal on Europe 1 this Tuesday morning.
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The government spokesperson, however, did not specify the outlines of these potential measures, which would complement the exceptional payment of an energy check in December, already announced two weeks ago.
This check, in the amount of 100 euros, will be distributed in December to 6 million households (out of 29 million households in France in total).
Asked about
Cnews
, Bruno Le Maire estimated that inflation affecting gas prices "
will probably last several months
". It arouses a concern "
perfectly legitimate of our compatriots
", he judged, admitting that the energy check will not "
compensate for the increase
" in prices. There is, for the moment, no miracle solution to avoid a swelling of the bill, the rise in gas prices outside the French framework.
The issue of energy prices is despite everything closely monitored by the government: in the fall of 2019, it was the rise in fuel prices that had been the trigger for the “
yellow vests
” crisis
.
And these have also risen sharply in recent months, as the economic recovery has taken hold.
A link between gas and electricity prices
The issue of energy prices has been on the table for several months now: regulated gas prices had already increased by 10% in July, then by 5% in August and 8.7% in September. "
This development is the result of the historic rise in gas prices on the world market which is reflected in the supply costs of the gas supplier Engie
", explains the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE).
This increase can be explained for several reasons, in particular a sharp increase at the global level for liquefied natural gas (LNG) which causes tensions on the supply chain, and an inability of supplier countries (Russia, Norway) to increase production. .
On BFM Business, Tuesday, the head of CRE, Jean-François Carenco, recalled that France imported "
99% of the gas
" consumed in France.
"
We are not masters of this price
" which has risen sharply in recent months, he stressed.
Read also France will have enough gas this winter
The Minister of the Economy once again called for reforming the European system, in which any increase in gas prices leads to an increase in electricity prices. An "
aberration
", sanctioned the boss of Bercy, to which "
we must put an end
". "
I wrote to the president of the Eurogroup
" so that this file is put on the agenda of the meeting on October 4, declared the minister, who intends to "
transform in depth the European energy market
" . “
Europe of energy is the backbone
”, which allows France to export electricity abroad - bringing “
considerable resources
to EDF”.
"- defended Jean-François Carenco.
In addition, this system "
prevents us from black-outs 40 days a year,
" he stressed.
Any reform must therefore be thought out carefully.
In the meantime, the Minister of the Economy as well as the CRE are warning: gas price levels should remain very high during the fall of 2021 and during the winter of 2021-2022.
The French will then be able to hope for "
a drop from spring and summer 2022, before a return to normal for the year 2023
", sketches the CRE.
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