A “letter to the bakers of France”. While this profession is facing great difficulties paying the sometimes astronomical bills due to the energy crisis, Jordan Bardella took up the pen. A way for the president of the National Group to punish the Executive’s policy on the matter and propose political alternatives.
In a document obtained by BFMTV, the one who is also a European deputy says “Emmanuel Macron and his government.” Which “do not seem to gauge the urgency of his situation,” he told the bakers’ leadership. According to him, “the 20% price depreciation measure for professionals”, launched by the government “is not enough”.
“What a paradox to see the President of the Republic rejoice over the inclusion of the baguette in the intangible heritage of humanity by Unesco, but condemning, for their inaction, thousands of artisan bakers to close the curtain, caught by the throat because of runaway inflation,” then attacks Jordan Bardella.
“Challenging” the “European rules”
The problem according to him? “An absurd mechanism”, consisting of indexing “your electricity bill to gas prices”, and which leads “to an unbearable increase in the electricity bill”. Therefore, according to the RN’s position on the issue, the solution is to deviate from the “European rules for setting electricity prices”.
In fact, this “would find much more reasonable prices to sustainably relieve his profession”, highlights the far-right elected official. “Portugal and Spain did it, it’s a matter of common sense and political will,” he argues again.
And to add: “Questioning these European rules will allow us to regain control and restore low regulated prices, corresponding to the French cost of production, without costing taxpayers a penny.”
“An entire profession that dies”
This Monday on BFMTV, Julien Pedussel testified to the situation of his profession by formulating a “call for help”. This artisan baker from the Oise thus detailed the spectacular rise in his bills in recent months: 6,000 euros in November, then more than 12,000 euros in December, compared to around 1,800 euros before the crisis. Unable to pay, he “opposed” his TotalEnergies bill.
“The electricity providers are killing us,” he said on our antenna, indicating in passing that he wanted to warn about the “great crisis” affecting bakers. According to him, it is “an entire profession that is about to die.” To combat this situation, Julien Pedussel called demonstrations at roundabouts.
This is reminiscent of the yellow vest crisis and worries those in power. The executive wants to put out any fire: the representatives of the profession will be received this Tuesday in Bercy by Bruno Le Maire, Minister of Economy, and Olivia Grégoire, Minister Delegate in charge of SMEs, Commerce, Crafts and Tourism.
“We won’t let any baker down”
“Bread in our society has a very strong symbolic, historical meaning. […] it has often been at the origin of social explosions, be it in France or in the world”, explains Matthieu Croissandeau on BFMTV. The anger “hits directly at Bruno Le Maire’s message,” according to our editorialist.
“We will not disappoint any baker in France, just as we will not disappoint any SME, any VSE in the face of the increase in electricity prices”, the Bercy boss had thus declared during questions to the Government on December 6. .
In addition to the “amortization measure” mentioned by Jordan Bardella, the executive has also expanded this year a help desk for the payment of electricity bills.
However, this answer is “insufficient[e]”For the moment, observes Matthieu Croissandeau. Only, “there is no simple solution” to respond to this anger, “other than restoring a form of ‘whatever it takes,'” he continues. However, “it is hard to see how the executive could take a fair measure for bakers and justify it in this way without other professions knocking on his door in turn.”
Source: BFM TV
