Question 4157 — commerce and crafts

Summary

Mr. Laurent Alexandre draws the attention of the Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty to the serious inadequacies of what his ministry nevertheless presents as a “comprehensive system to support businesses in the face of increases in electricity and gas prices”. Millions of small traders, craftsmen, farmers and entrepreneurs see their activity threatened by the sudden increase in prices energy despite government aid. The MP met the artisan butchers and charcutiers who demonstrated on November 29, 2022 near the National Assembly. Many artisanal butchers cannot claim the tariff shield due to a subscribed power greater than 36kVA. The situation of many bakers is just as alarming for equivalent reasons. Their bills are exploding and reaching unsustainable levels. Many traders and artisans risk going out of business. For example, a study shows that 20% of bakers could close their businesses in 2023. Aveyron farmers also alerted the MP with very concrete and equally worrying examples. One, with a subscribed power of 90kVA and a renewable electricity contract every year, sees its bill forecast to increase from 10,387 euros in 2022 to 70,989 euros in 2023 with the new prices proposed by EDF. After a comparative study as proposed to him by his energy supplier, this farmer can at best claim a bill in 2023 of 50,826.65 euros, or five times the cost he will pay for this year 2022. These cases illustrate according to the deputy the numerous shortcomings of the government system, despite recent strengthening announcements. With the addition of the electricity rate buffer and the bill payment assistance window for 2023, many businesses and businesses will remain in danger. In the most optimistic projections, faced with a bill that will multiply by 4, 5, 6 or even more, the impact of government aid will be far too moderate to compensate for bills much higher than those of last year. So many of these small traders, already greatly weakened by the covid crisis, risk seeing their activity cease permanently. A whole section of village, town, small and medium-sized town life disappears with the closure of a business. The MP insists on the indispensable nature of small businesses, particularly butchers and bakers, for the economic and social life of rural areas. Their closure means Often for residents the constraint of using the private car for more than 10 kilometers and sometimes much more, to find an alternative food service. As for farmers, they are essential links in food independence and feed the country, should we still remember this? In addition, these local businesses and small producers are subject to competition from large groups and other European countries. Of Many EU countries have already taken and continue to take clear measures to curb energy prices. Spain and Portugal, by regulating gas prices for 2023, are causing electricity prices to fall by up to 130 euros/MWh, for rates above 500 euros/MWh in France. Likewise, Germany caps gas and electricity prices at home, while continuing to oppose a European blockade gas prices. It also taxes superprofits, like the Netherlands, these two countries allocating part of this exceptional contribution to their energy price control systems. Thus, other avenues than costly and ineffective government measures exist and are applied by other European countries. Moreover, proposals such as the taxation of superprofits or the blocking of product prices basic necessities were debated in the hemicycle but swept away 49-3. The MP believes that it is urgent to protect the country's economy. On the one hand by urgently applying the tariff shield to small businesses. On the other hand, by then reestablishing regulated prices to escape from the sole logic of the deregulated market which is leading the country into the current impasse. The market and competition in the sector of energy are indeed inefficient and dangerous in times of crisis, we currently have a tragic illustration of this. However, in France we have the operational and technical means to initiate a major bifurcation of the organization of the energy sector. The average production cost of a megawatt hour in France is less than 100 euros, when market prices exceeded 1,000 euros in the summer of 2022. By planning and operating the French production, we can develop a simple, readable and fair price list for both producers and consumers, based on production costs. Price stability would then be guaranteed and beneficial for both consumers and producers. Such a reform would not disrupt the current organization of cross-border trade or the pooling of means of production on a European scale. It would certainly require a derogation from European rules, in particular the principle of liberalization of the electricity market, in a context where the countries of the European Union are already increasing the number of derogations in the face of serious market dysfunctions. We can also serve as an example for the whole of Europe, at a time when a structural reform of the European electricity market will be debated in the first quarter of 2023. Promotion of a centralized European public operator would benefit all the countries of the European Union and bring them into a cycle of cooperation rather than competition. A rebuilt public electricity service can provide a clear response to market dysfunctions and address the economic, ecological and social challenges that we will have to face in the very near future. So, he asks him when he plans to stop persist with its economic dogmatism to finally take protective and effective measures to preserve local commerce, small and medium-sized businesses as well as the country's artisans.

Machine translation from French. The official text remains authoritative.

Timeline

No timeline events have been ingested for this record yet.

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

No version snapshots stored. Document URLs remain at the source.

Documents

No documents linked.

Sponsors

No sponsors or actors listed by the source.

Related records

No cross-record relationships stored yet.