Break limit for SMEs and VSEs. On this decisive day with the meeting of the 27 European Ministers of Energy in Brussels, the Minister of Economy returned to the Government’s strategy to curb the rise in energy prices, especially for small and medium-sized companies. She thus mentioned the objectives of the meeting with the energy companies scheduled for Wednesday together with Agnès Pannier-Runacher.
An anticipation that paid off
Minutes earlier, Bruno Le Maire began his interview by saying that he was not worried about the situation and expressing his determination to “give the correct answers on the strategic issue of energy prices” which is, according to him, “absolute urgency”.
The day after the announcement on the other side of the Rhine of the release of 200,000 million euros to limit gas and electricity prices, the minister recalled that France had reacted earlier by putting 100,000 million euros on the table, which is currently contributing to an inflation that is the lowest among the countries of the euro zone (at 5.6% annual in September according to INSEE).
Duplication of the maximum limit of aid to companies
However, Bruno Le Maire was delighted with the growing cooperation between the two countries on the energy issue, citing a column published on Friday in the echoes and co-signed by his German counterpart.
“There are two messages in this forum, explained the minister. First, Germany joins our idea that we should decouple the price of gas and electricity and have lower prices. Given this, the European Commission must urgently make concrete proposals for the coming days. The second point is that it must also simplify the aid system for companies, which is too complex”.
The Ministry of Economy questions in particular the criterion of reduction or loss of gross operating surplus within three months to benefit from support for a significant part of energy costs.
Finally, Bruno Le Maire raised the question of the taxation of profits made by energy companies in this particular period, refusing to use the term “super profits”.
“In normal times we guarantee prices to energy companies so that they invest in renewable energy, among other things”, the minister recalled. Today the situation is reversed and it is normal that we recover this rent on electricity prices. more than 8,000 million euros in 2022 and 20,000 million euros in 2023, which would finance half of the household tariff shield.
Source: BFM TV
