French President Emmanuel Macaron supported the payment of compensation to citizens for the rise in electricity prices.
“I think this is more fair and purposeful,” RIA Novosti quoted Macron as saying at a press conference in Brussels about the measures introduced by the French government.
On the eve of the Prime Minister of the Republic, Jean Casteks, announced that every Frenchman whose salary does not exceed € 2,000 per month will receive compensation in the amount of € 100 by the end of the year due to the rise in electricity prices. In total, about € 3.8 billion will be allocated for payments. In addition, gas prices in the country will be frozen until the end of 2022. According to Kasteks, this decision is due to a slower than expected decline in world prices.
The gas price on spot markets in Europe has been stably above the € 1000 per thousand cubic meters mark since mid-September, at the maximum price level was approaching € 2000. The average annual electricity bill for residents of some European countries, including France, has already increased by € 500-600. Earlier in October, Paris proposed reforming the EU’s energy market, including by introducing regulated tariffs for consumers.
In Europe as a whole, this year gas reserves in underground storage facilities fell to 75%. This is the lowest figure for the last 10 years; last year it was 94%. As the Deputy Chairman of the European Commission Frans Timmermans reported, the demand for energy resources in the EU has reached a maximum in 25 years. Earlier, a group of MEPs said that the record price increase was due to the actions of the Russian Gazprom, which allegedly seeks to force Europe to give permission to operate the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. In Russia, such accusations were called absurd and explained the rise in prices by objective factors, such as the climate and growth in electricity consumption amid the lifting of coronavirus restrictions.
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