EDF’s major reorganization project cannot be completed before the end of Emmanuel Macron’s five-year term next year, for lack of agreement with the European Commission in this matter, government sources said on Wednesday (July 28th). ‘France Media Agency.
“At this stage, the discussions have not succeeded” with Brussels and “It is not possible to have a bill in Parliament immediately”, explained one of these sources. The project will therefore not be able to be completed in time before the start of the next presidential campaign, she admitted.
This reorganization project – first baptized “Hercule” then “Grand EDF” – was fought by the electrician unions, who saw in it a risk of dismantling, just like the opposition, of La France insoumise, via the Communist Party, the Socialist Party and The Republicans.
On Wednesday evening, the Force Ouvrière union welcomed the project “Or at the very least postponed”, subject to confirmation, tweeted his secretary general, Yves Veyrier. Despite the blockages, “Our CEO has every intention of doing something”, told Agence France-Presse Maud Mathieu, central CGT union delegate from EDF. The European Commission, she said that it was a “Discussion in progress” with the French authorities, and declined to comment.
France against the split of the group
In the eyes of the executive, the idea was to allow the company, heavily in debt, to be able to invest in renewable energies, while renovating its nuclear fleet. In particular, the selling price of EDF’s nuclear electricity to its competitors had to be raised. An agreement with Brussels, guardian of competition in Europe, was however necessary. This global agreement with the European Commission would also have made it possible to settle an old dispute over hydroelectric dams.
But Paris and Brussels were opposed in particular on the degree of separation between the various entities of EDF, which would have been created by the reform. France wanted its champion to stay ” integrated “, while the competition services at the Commission wanted a more straightforward separation.
The Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, described the EDF group unit as “Absolute red line of the French government”. EDF CEO Jean-Bernard Lévy recently mentioned discussions “Difficult” between Paris and Brussels.
“There has been progress, but there is no global agreement”, we believe in the government. However, the executive did not want a reform “Truncated” Where “Rushed”. “We are still convinced of the need to carry out this reform”, adds the same source.
Contacted, EDF did not wish to comment immediately. The group, majority owned by the French state, is due to publish its financial results Thursday morning.