At last ! After several days of waiting, the Prime Minister, Jean Castex, announced this Wednesday his resilience plan supposed to soften the rise in fuel prices, which accelerated with the war in Ukraine. After the reduction of 15 euro cents per liter on petrol, diesel and LPG announced last weekend and which will come into force on 1 April for four months for individuals and professionals alike, the measures presented concern especially businesses. And it was time, the discontent rises. Since Tuesday, several oil depots in the west of France have been blocked by truck drivers unhappy with the soaring prices, while many fishermen, for lack of profitability, refuse to go to sea.
3 billion euros for energy-intensive companies
In this plan, very far from “whatever the cost”, the government activates general aid and other more targeted ones. Main general measure, the assumption by the State of half of the additional cost linked to the rise in energy prices, and this regardless of the size or type of company, within the limit of 25 million euros. To benefit from it, companies must meet three conditions: that their gas or electricity expenditure represents more than 3% of their turnover, that their energy bill has increased by more than 40% since the Ukrainian crisis and that they realize an operating loss.
A significant boost, amounting to three billion euros, targeted at energy-intensive companies, such as those in the chemical, paper or sugar industries, and which should concern 2,000 companies in total.
The use of prolonged partial activity
Other general measures, the amount of loans guaranteed by the State (PGE) may be increased from 25% of turnover to 35%, the possibilities of recourse to long-term partial activity (APLD) may be extended, while that the deferral of payroll tax payments will be facilitated.
Targeted measures concern farmers in particular. Faced with the soaring cost of animal feed, a “transitional” aid over four months will be provisioned, up to 400 million euros, in order to compensate for the losses of breeders. Beyond this financial support, the Minister of Agriculture, Julien Denormandie, recalled that “new trade negotiations” will take place “without delay”, in order to “secure our producers”. A meeting with all the players in the agri-food chain will also be organized in Bercy on this theme “from Friday”.
VIDEO. Transport, fishing, construction, agriculture … The main aid to businesses unveiled by Jean Castex
For fishermen, “exceptional” financial aid of 35 cents per liter will be allocated to them from March 16 and “until July 31”. This announcement “is likely to reassure the shipping companies” and to “encourage them to go back to sea tomorrow”, deciphers Jean-Luc Hall, the director general of the National Committee for Maritime Fisheries and Marine Farming (CNPMEM), who has nevertheless asked for an appointment on Thursday morning at the Ministry of the Sea, in order to find out more in detail.
Drivers received at the Ministry of Transport
For truckers, in addition to the 15 euro cents reduction on a liter of fuel, the partial reimbursement of the domestic consumption tax on energy products (TICPE) will now be monthly and no longer quarterly. “It is a question of improving the cash flow of transporters and other public works companies, explains an adviser to Matignon. The time they can pass on the price increases. Other aid must still be discussed with the Ministry of Transport. Measures deemed insufficient by Otre, the organization of road transport SMEs, which maintains its call for mobilization from March 21.
“Put end to end, between the tariff shield on gas and electricity (already set up) and this resilience plan, between 22 and 26 billion euros are disbursed by the State, recalls an adviser. And nothing is fixed, depending on the evolution of prices, everything can move. The Prime Minister indicated that the State had sufficient financial reserves to meet these exceptional expenses.