Given the rise in energy prices, the national secretary of the PCF called on municipalities, local authorities and companies not to “pay their bills.” “I call on the mayors, the presidents of the local authorities, but also on the companies, to stop paying their electricity bills when they rise to unacceptable proportions,” said Fabien Roussel on Friday at the Parisiansupporting a communist mayor of the Oise who had threatened to do so.
“Our cities and towns, which do not have access to the regulated electricity tariff and are forced to be privately self-sufficient, are not destined to be mowed down,” said Fabien Roussel. “What is at stake is the closure of our swimming pools, our theaters, the heating of our schools or our nursing homes. We will see if these private groups dare to cut off the electricity,” continued the communist deputy from the North, former presidential candidate , who spoke of a “republican call for resistance”.
Some thirty swimming pools, managed by the Vert Marine company, delegated for public services, were thus closed at the beginning of the week due to lack of means to pay electricity bills.
State “inaction”
On the Rhône side, the president of the Lyon Metropolis denounced on Thursday night at BFM Lyon an “inaction, even complicity” of the State. “In 2021 we had about 40 million [d’euros] of energy costs, in 2022 it is estimated that we will end up with about 55 million [d’euros] and especially in 2023, if nothing is done at the state level, we could be at 90 million euros. It’s huge”, assured Bruno Bernard, fearing having to make “arbitrations” in local expenses.
“It can be even worse for other communities that are less financially affluent than we are. This is an important issue and it’s not normal that there is no device.” [de soutien]. We are witnessing a blackmail of the local authorities by the energy providers, with inaction or even complicity of the State”, “shareholder” of EDF or Engie who benefits from the profits of the two companies and from the “income tax on VAT” and “let the local authorities foot the bill”.
Civil disobedience
Questioned by AFP, several associations of elected officials acknowledged that there was a problem in refusing to call for civil disobedience. “This idea of asking mayors not to pay is an idea that I hear but, in my opinion, it is not an effective response to the difficulties we are encountering,” reacted Guy Geoffroy, mayor of Combs-la-Ville. et-Marne) and Vice President of the Association of Mayors of France (AMF).
“There is a difference between the observed reality of not being able to physically be in a position to pay a bill and refusing to pay it is something else,” the mayor of Ile-de-France added. “It is obvious that the associations of elected officials cannot give instructions not to pay their bills, but Fabien Roussel asks a real question because many municipalities are on the bone,” replied André Robert, general delegate of the Association of Small Towns of France ( APVF).
For Sébastien Martin, president of Intermunicipalities of France, “we cannot support this type of message”. “Work is being done at a European level to regulate energy prices and we are counting on the public authorities to put in place a regulatory tool,” he stressed.
Source: BFM TV
