Solidarity, sobriety… During a rare press conference on Monday, September 5, Emmanuel Macron detailed at length the French and European strategy to deal with the energy crisis. He also touched on the delicate subject of prices, with a European contribution mechanism for energy operators making significant margins. Like an air of deja vu.
France said on Monday that it was in favor of the European Union imposing a contribution on energy operators who would make ” unfair profits with soaring wholesale electricity prices on the continent, joining Germany in proposing this approach on Sunday 4 September. ” We defend a European contribution mechanism (…) which would therefore be requested from energy operators said French President Emmanuel Macron, as the European Commission prepares its own plan to contain the spike in electricity prices seen this summer.
Turnaround?
Above all, don’t say “tax on superprofits”. But by evoking benefits “ industrial », « excessive of energy giants, including production costs are much lower than the market price “Emmanuel Macron has given a perfect definition. However, the presidential camp sees no change or concession. “ The government, the President of the Republic, the Minister of the Economy have for many weeks proposed a reform of the European energy market. So I believe that the president’s remarks clarify and complete this approach. », valued David Amiel, Renaissance deputy and co-rapporteur of the parliamentary mission on the subject.
On the side of Nupes, the analysis is obviously very different: it is a moral victory, it is underlined in the ranks of the left. But we remain cautious about the mechanism presented by the Head of State. “ We will wait to see concretely what the proposals of the President of the Republic are, explains Benjamin Lucas, Green MP. It would not be the first time that we have had announcements which appear to be likely to reassure those who are proposing a certain number of tax measures, and then behind, in the implementation, we can clearly see that we are always overtaken by lobbies, overtaken by what is the political identity of this particularly unjust and unequal power. »
Non-fiscal mechanism
France therefore supports a non-fiscal mechanism, harmonized at European level, which would make it possible to recover part of the profits made by producers of renewable or nuclear electricity, who today produce electricity at low cost but resold at record prices. . European electricity prices, regardless of their method of production, are in fact correlated to the price of gas, which has reached historic highs since the war in Ukraine. The total shutdown of the Nord Stream gas pipeline, which connects Russia to northern Germany, further boosted prices on Monday.
With this tax on superprofits which does not say its name, Emmanuel Macron in any case deprives his opponents of a popular battle horse and regains control of an issue which divided his majority and gained ground among European neighbors.
EU energy ministers will meet on Friday to discuss the situation at an extraordinary meeting. The Commission has proposed capping part of wholesale electricity prices, adopting regulated tariffs for the most vulnerable and strengthening incentives to reduce consumption, according to a draft consulted by AFP.