The Senate votes against the “dismantling” of EDF but rules out a “nationalization” of the group

The Senate with a right-wing majority voted, Thursday, April 6, in first reading a socialist bill against the “dismantling” of EDF, but dismissing a “nationalization” of the energy company, key article of the text. The proposal of MP Philippe Brun, emptied of its substance on the initiative of the rapporteur Les Républicains Gérard Longuet, was examined within the framework of a parliamentary niche reserved for the PS group.

It was adopted by 206 votes “for” and 123 “against”. The left finally voted against, the socialist group denouncing “the attitude of the senatorial right which completely distorted this bill”. The RDPI group, with a Renaissance majority, also voted against “a skeletal text, and again, when archaeologists find an incomplete skeleton”in the words of Senator Julien Bargeton.

The Hercules project is “dead and buried”

In the National Assembly, the Communists have already planned to resume it at second reading on May 4, as part of the group’s niche Democratic and Republican Left. The Minister of Industry said that “This bill aims to respond to anxieties that have no place to exist”. The controversial EDF restructuring project, dubbed Hercule, “is dead and buried”assured Roland Lescure. “There is no visible or hidden plan to dismantle our national operator”he assured once again.

The senators removed the nationalization procedure provided for in Article 1, deemed unnecessary with regard to the public purchase offer initiated by the State. They replaced it with the objective of state ownership of 100% of EDF’s capital. But for the socialist Franck Montaugé, this “very liberal approach (…) leaves open all subsequent disposal operations of subsidiaries”. “To nationalize EDF is to rearm France”pleaded in vain Victorin Lurel.