Who can stop inflation? Last month, in the euro zone, it reached 5.1%, according to Eurostat. Thursday, February 3, the European Central Bank has yet chosen to wait, and not to raise its interest rates. Eco guest of franceinfo, economist Jezabel Couppey-Soubeyran believes that the ECB “is not completely offside” but that the problem goes beyond monetary policy alone. It points to a supply problem, due in particular to “a deep energy crisis“, destined to last and weigh on prices.
According to Eurostat, energy prices are increasing by 28.6%. Jezabel Couppey-Soubeyran notes that “The demand for fossil energy, for oil, continues to increase, while the resource is depleted. Prices are rising and this is a reflection of the inability of countries around the world to make an energy transition.”
If we do not engage in the ecological and energy transformation of our economies, we will be faced with these episodes of inflation.
Economist Jezabel Couppey-Soubeyranon franceinfo
The lecturer at the University of Paris I – Panthéon Sorbonne is also worried about the soaring prices of food commodities, which is hitting some poor countries hard. According to her, this inflation is linked “also, to a transition problem, and in large part to the climate change that affects these crops.”
According to Jezabel Couppey-Soubeyran, central banks have a role to play, but it is first up to States to act to further transform economies, which would also, she believes, have an effect on inflation. .