French finance minister calls for urgent cuts in gas and electricity prices

PARIS, Sep 30 – PRIME. It is necessary that the European Commission in the coming days make proposals to reduce gas and electricity prices, said French Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire.

“Reducing the price of gas and electricity is an urgent issue… For the first time now, Germany also recognizes that now the absolute priority is to reduce market prices, which have skyrocketed to insane numbers, which is unbearable for our compatriots and businesses. It is necessary that the European Commission urgently give us specific proposals in the coming days to lower these prices,” he said Friday on Europe 1 radio station.

In his opinion, current prices threaten local production and enterprises. He believes that the EC should also facilitate the mechanism for obtaining support for companies that consume a lot of electricity.

Earlier it was reported that the French government on October 6 will present a package of measures to reduce energy consumption in the country against the backdrop of a sharp rise in energy prices.

This summer, the French government launched an “energy sobriety” program with the goal of reducing electricity consumption by 10% to avoid shortages in the coming winter. The government called on businesses and transport companies to submit specific plans to reduce energy consumption.

In order to save energy in France, the ban on illuminated advertising has been expanded, and shops have been banned from keeping their doors open when the air conditioning or heating system is running. Retail outlets must turn off illuminated signs and air ventilation at night, reduce the brightness of lighting by 50% before the arrival of customers and by 30% during normal hours in case of a critical level of power consumption.