While the rise in prices is at the heart of concerns this fall, the Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, defended, on Tuesday September 19, ecological planning, which she considers necessary to “protect purchasing power”.
“Some fear that the ecological transition will be synonymous with a drop in purchasing power. On the contrary, it is the absence of transition that would lead to it, because we would be eternally subject to shocks on prices and therefore on purchasing power,” affirmed the Prime Minister before the National Refoundation Council. “Protecting purchasing power therefore involves phasing out fossil fuels, renovating housing, and relocating. This involves controlling electricity costs (…) In a word, this involves ecological planning,” added the head of government.
Agriculture, biodiversity, buildings, energy, industry, transport, communities: Ms. Borne detailed the distribution of the additional 10 billion euros that will be committed to the ecological transition, seven of which will be spent in 2024.
Request for “much more concrete” measures
A subject of tension, the question of the connection between ecology and purchasing power was raised in the meeting held on the subject with the political parties on Monday in Matignon. Several party leaders have therefore called for “very strong regulation” of the price of electricity, according to Matignon.
“The most modest households (…) are those which pollute the least, but which are the most impacted by pollution” and which “are the least equipped to face this transition”, underlined at the end of the CNR Noam Leandri, president of the Alerte collective which brings together thirty-four associations fighting against poverty. He calls for “much more concrete” measures in their favor.
Representatives of the communities asked for “adapted means” for this transition, reported, for the Association of Rural Mayors, Yvan Lubraneski, while, for the U2P (Union of Local Businesses), Michel Picon called for “ time” to adapt.
In July, the government postponed the presentation of this roadmap, in particular because of the riots and the reshuffle. He promises a “very concrete” and “very operational” plan in order to “be at the European meeting” of the 55% reduction in net greenhouse gas emissions in 2030, compared to 1990, and to “project towards carbon neutrality in 2050”.
Emmanuel Macron is due to speak on the subject on Monday, before the presentation, on September 27 in the Council of Ministers, of the draft budget for 2024.