Accused by the opposition of not doing enough, the government is beefing up its measures to help bakeries in great difficulty. While the return to social life promises to be at high risk, between pension reform and the call for yellow vests, the executive wants to avoid coalescing discontent.
Exceptional support. Bercy has continued to multiply in recent weeks gestures towards bakers hard hit by the rise in electricity prices, until announcing this Tuesday evening the possibility of terminating their energy contract free of charge.
The government is closely monitoring their anger as several political figures accuse the government of being absent subscribers, from Jordan Bardella to Fabien Roussel via Éric Ciotti against a backdrop of social discontent.
Bakers “dying”
No question for the executive to seem in withdrawal while the bakeries represent a strong symbol, between art of living and representation of France which gets up early.
“We never make noise. People know very well that if we start protesting, it’s because the situation is serious”, summarizes Julien Pedussel, an artisan baker from Oise with BFMTV.com .
This boss, who saw his electricity bill go from 1,800 euros in 2021 to 12,000 euros in December, says he is “dying financially”. Faced with the explosion in the prices of energy and raw materials such as butter and flour, bakers in France fear for their survival.
Support and help desks
To deal with the situation, Elisabeth Borne offered them this Tuesday morning to postpone the payment of their taxes and their social security contributions.
In the maneuver for several weeks, the two ministers in charge of the file, Bruno Le Maire and Olivia Grégoire also took advantage of the start of the school year to recall the systems in place ranging from the State taking charge of 15% to 25% of the bill at an aid desk when the electricity bill exceeds 3% of turnover.
Bardella and his “letter to the bakers of France”
With 33,000 shops in France, the profession has 110,000 employees and millions of customers every day of the year. Suffice to say that all political camps are seizing the subject. Jordan Bardella, the new boss of the RN, even split an open letter this Tuesday morning.
“Your production is not just a consumer good, it is a source of national pride,” said the MEP in this missive.
Same story on the side of Éric Ciotti who now leads Les Républicains, calling on the government to “save crafts”. It must be said that the bankruptcy of thousands of bakeries would have a bad effect just a few weeks after the baguette was listed as a UNESCO intangible heritage.
“Magic” of the baguette
While visiting Washington, Emmanuel Macron was delighted with this announcement, seeing in this culinary achievement “250 grams of magic and perfection”. Every year, the Élysée welcomes around ten master bakers for the galette des rois.
The paradox did not escape Fabien Roussel. The boss of the communist party denounced on his Twitter account the statements of the president and “his inaction concerning the cost of energy leading bakeries to close”.
Proof that the government is under pressure: just hours after their joint press conference, the Minister of the Economy announced the possibility for bakers to terminate their energy contract free of charge in the event of a “prohibitive” increase. This device will be reserved for them, unlike other aids.
“We help all small businesses in difficulty with the price of energy. Bakeries are one of them. There is a media prism which means that we hear more about them because their example speaks volumes”, we ensures the office of Olivia Grégoire, the Minister Delegate for SMEs and Trade.
“It can blow up the campaigns”
The argument hardly convinces Stéphane Ravacley. An environmental candidate in the last legislative elections, this baker made the rounds of the national media in January 2021 after starting a hunger strike to fight against the expulsion procedure which then targeted his apprentice.
“Politicians are waking up today because they feel that France is cracking up and that we are often the last social link in the villages. Letting us die can make the countryside explode,” says the craftsman. .
A few days before the government’s announcements on pension reform, the executive wants to avoid any social conflagration, against a backdrop of rising electricity prices for homes and in the face of record inflation. Especially since a call for yellow vests to demonstrate on January 7 has been launched.
“A real sounding board”
Anxious to calm the situation, the government will send a “personalized” letter to bakers in France in the coming days to encourage them to take advantage of the aid that already exists.
“Traders can be a real sounding board with customers. It is certain that if we can avoid a tackle with each baguette sold, we are very interested. And it is France that works hard and that, that resonates a lot in the collective imagination”, deciphers a Renaissance deputy.
At the risk of overdoing it? It is in any case the fear of Hervé Novelli. The former Secretary of State for Crafts under Jacques Chirac denounces “the risk of a feeling of injustice in the coming weeks”.
“Other sectors are very hard hit. The feeling that bakers are part of our daily life is correct, but be careful not to prioritize the difficulties of some over others”, advances the one who advanced the status of self- entrepreneur in the 2000s.
In the meantime, the PACA region led by macronist Renaud Muselier has already announced targeted aid for bakers.
