Bakers, hit hard by inflation, will be able to terminate their energy supply contract free of charge in the event of a prohibitive price increase and insofar as it threatens the survival of the company, announced Tuesday the Minister of Economy Bruno Le Maire.
This exceptional measure, which exclusively targets bakers, will be applied on a case-by-case basis by energy specialists, warned the government’s N.2 after a meeting at the ministry with electricity and gas suppliers. It is primarily aimed at craftsmen who are suffering the double pain of the rise in the price of energy and raw materials, such as wheat.
The suppliers present at the meeting on Tuesday – EDF, Engie, TotalEnergies but also Anode, which represents energy companies other than the former monopolies – have also undertaken to fully apply a charter which they signed in October and which the bakers and Bruno Le Maire accuse them of not respecting.
Several measures put in place for small businesses
Those who do not undertake, in the coming days, to enforce it will see their names disclosed publicly, threatened the minister.
The government has also required energy suppliers to show more clearly on their customers’ bills the discounts they benefit from under the electricity shock absorber, a support mechanism put in place in the fall and which consists of for the executive to bear part of the energy costs.
electricity, gas: reduce your bill with our online comparator
All the suppliers have undertaken to include in the January invoice, which will arrive in February, the benefit of the shock absorber, said Mr. Le Maire. Finally, they are all committed to offering payment facilities to SMEs and VSEs, he added.
In the morning, the government had already announced that small businesses, and in particular bakeries, could benefit from a deferral of social and tax charges to preserve their cash flow, as well as a staggering of the payment of their invoices.