Bakers, hit hard by inflation, will be able to terminate their electricity supply contract free of charge in the event of a price increase “prohibitive” and as long as she “threatens the survival of the company”announced this Tuesday, January 3, the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire.
This measure “exceptional” which exclusively targets bakers will be applied ” case by case “ by the energy companies, however warned the number 2 of the government after a meeting at the ministry with the electricity suppliers. It primarily targets craftsmen who suffer from “double jeopardy” the rise in the price of energy and raw materials, such as wheat.
The sequel after the ad
Pensions, unemployment insurance, energy prices… What to remember from Elisabeth Borne’s announcements
The suppliers present at the meeting on Tuesday – EDF, Engie, TotalEnergies but also Anode, which represents energy companies other than the former monopolies – have also undertaken to fully apply a charter that they signed in October and that bakers and Bruno Le Maire accuses them of not respecting.
“Those who do not commit, in the coming days, to upholding it will see their names disclosed publicly”threatened the minister.
An “electricity damper”
The government has also required energy suppliers to show more clearly on their customers’ bills the discounts they receive under the“electricity damper”a support mechanism put in place in the fall and which consists of the executive taking charge of part of the energy costs.
“All of the suppliers have undertaken to include in the January invoice, which will arrive in February, the benefit of the shock absorber”, said Bruno Le Maire. Finally, they all “committed to offering payment facilities to SMEs and VSEs”he added.
In the morning, the government had already announced that small businesses, and in particular bakeries, could benefit from a deferral of social and tax charges to preserve their cash flow, as well as a staggering of the payment of their invoices.
