During a press briefing ahead of the meeting of European Union finance ministers in Brussels, the French Minister of Economy and Finance, Bruno Le Maire, called for the unity of the member states and detailed its strategic priorities to deal with the economic consequences of the war in Ukraine.
“
We want to define a common economic strategy this morning.
The unity of the twenty-seven is the most valuable value in the face of these economic risks,
” said the minister.
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The first of the priorities mentioned by Bruno Le Maire is “
support for the households most affected by soaring fuel prices
”.
The economy minister confirmed the fuel price reduction of 15 cents per liter announced by Prime Minister Jean Castex on March 11 and indicated that many of his European counterparts will also take decisions to protect households.
“Targeted protection” of companies
Bruno Le Maire also affirmed his desire to protect companies "
we want targeted protection for companies that are most affected by the consequences of the war in Ukraine: those that consume a lot of gas or those that are exposed to the Russian market
" , did he declare.
However, he insisted that this protection could not be “
universal
”, so as not to aggravate inflation.
"
We are going to look today at what are the most appropriate instruments, I asked European Commissioner Margrethe Vestager
(in charge of Competition, editor's note)
to come and present this morning all the instruments that will be made available to the states to protect the companies most affected by the consequences of this new economic situation,
” he explained.
The Minister also affirmed the need to “
prepare Europe's energy independence
”, evoking the need to move towards more “
energy sobriety
” and to invest in renewable energies.
A new round of “historic” sanctions against Russia
Bruno Le Maire also announced the discussion with his European counterparts of a new section of economic sanctions against Russia, which he described as "
historic
".
“
All options remain on the table, all economic and financial tools
,” he warned.
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