2023-11-15 14:17:34
Will meal vouchers be sustainable? Tuesday evening, the government announced that it would extend the use of meal vouchers to purchase food products that are not directly consumable (pasta, rice, etc.) until 2024. “It’s not a turnaround,” said Bruno Le Maire on CNews this Wednesday, while his ministry until then wanted to stop the measure after December 31, 2023.
On the other hand, the ceiling of 25 euros per day – which had been increased as part of the same 2022 law on purchasing power – will remain unchanged. The Minister of the Economy wishes to “open the discussion” on the functioning of restaurant vouchers and their “use, more generally, of these vouchers to buy food”.
“I think we need to open up thinking, more globally as always when we have changes like this: shouldn’t we use meal vouchers in a more global way, for the purchase of foodstuffs ? Shouldn’t we even change the name of meal vouchers, which is a bit misleading? With a single obsession, that it corresponds to the expectations of people, of employees,” insisted the minister.
Electricity prices will increase well into 2024
“Energy prices will not return to pre-inflation levels. » Bruno Le Maire also confirmed the upcoming end of the tariff shield on energy prices. “We will gradually exit the energy shield by 2025, which costs the State 40 billion euros per year,” he says. Consequence: electricity prices will increase at the start of 2024, but “no more than 10%”. Beyond 2025, the government is aiming for “stability of consumer prices”, while mentioning the need to invest.
This Wednesday, INSEE also published the results of unemployment in France. The unemployment rate recorded an increase in the third quarter, to 7.4% of the active population in France (excluding Mayotte), compared to 7.2 in the second quarter. “This is a consequence of the slowdown in growth in Europe and around the world,” explains Bruno Le Maire.
The minister remains on course to lower this rate to 5% in 2027, according to the objectives drawn up by Emmanuel Macron. “As our social model exists, we will not succeed,” warns Bruno Le Maire. He wants to improve housing to allow employees to be more mobile, accelerate the training of seniors and reform unemployment compensation.
Sharp decline in inflation
INSEE also confirmed the sharp decline in inflation in France in October, to 4% over one year compared to 4.9% in September, thanks to a slowdown in the rise in energy and food prices. .
The lower rise in manufactured prices has also, to a lesser extent, slowed inflation, specifies the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. Compared to the previous month, prices increased very slightly, by 0.1%, due to service prices. These final data confirm the first estimate published at the end of October.
Food inflation slowed from 9.7% in September to 7.8% in October, still year-on-year, the seventh consecutive monthly slowdown, observed for almost all items (bread and cereals, meat, milk, cheese , eggs, oils, sugar, jam, honey, chocolate and confectionery in particular).
One month before Christmas, the prices of games and toys are down 2.3% year-on-year, after -2.4% in September. The increase in prices of services accelerates slightly, to 3.2% compared to 2.9% in September, driven in particular by transport prices, and especially rail transport. “The drop in prices for recreational and cultural services is easing,” notes INSEE.
The institute also confirmed the increase of 0.2% over one month in the European harmonized index (HICP, or IPCH in French), after a drop of 0.6% in September, and the slowdown over one year to 4.5% compared to 5.7% the previous month. “Inflation is falling sharply” and “we have emerged from the inflationary crisis”, assured Tuesday the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire before the Senate Economic Affairs Committee. “However, the increase in food prices remains very penalizing for millions of our compatriots,” he stressed.
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