A change of foot is noted. After having explained three times in recent months that France was not a “co-belligerent” in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Emmanuel Macron now takes a completely different view and now uses warlike rhetoric to mobilize against possible “energy” restrictions.
“We are at war. At an energy war,” the president launched during a press conference organized this Monday at the Elysée Palace to unveil his national strategy to “get through the winter.”
foot change
While the Russian energy giant Gazprom announced on September 3 the extension of the total closure of the Nord Stream gas pipeline between Russia and Germany, France and the entire European continent are preparing for a winter without Russian gas. Gazprom has also stopped its deliveries to Engie.
If the situation has hardly changed in recent weeks, the tone of the head of state has changed a lot. “We are not at war”, he had repeated on March 2, March 11 and May 9, while painting a very bleak picture of the prospects that lay ahead during the Council of Ministers back to school on August 24 .
In the introductory statements, the president had thus evoked “the end of abundance” and “recklessness for those who still had it”, warning the French against the “great change we are experiencing”.
“A war is won”
If the oppositions had crushed this tone, the majority had also regretted comments considered too defeatist.
“He is forced to evolve because his message on August 24 was not very exciting or frankly compelling. At least you can win a war!”, analyzes with BFMTV.com a Renaissance deputy, a specialist in energy issues.
draw perspectives
The executive’s message had already evolved in recent days. When she left the National Defense and Security Council on energy on September 2, Agnès Pannier-Runacher wanted to be very reassuring.
“The Government has been anticipating the situation for several months (…) Our gas reserves are 92% full. Our European neighbors are also very advanced. We have almost reached our filling targets,” the Minister for Energy Transition said at the time. .
The warlike rhetoric employed by Emmanuel Macron also has the advantage of ringing the bell and presenting the French united behind the sources of the economy. The president was also very serious about portraying the efforts ahead as relatively moderate. Setting the French the goal of “saving 10% of what we usually consume”, the president considers it “doable with a series of simple gestures”.
Source: BFM TV
