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4:32 p.m. : Jean Castex also presents as a priority the search for other sources of supply for certain metals useful to industry and for the products necessary for the agri-food sector, and affirms that he has asked the ministers concerned to “make operational proposals quickly”.
4:31 p.m. : France has “the objective of completely exiting Russian gas and oil by 2027”, says Jean Castex. Capacities for importing liquefied natural gas will need to be strengthened, as well as capacities for renewable energy and biogas, he says. He also promises “reinforcement of aid to decarbonize heating networks”. So many long-term measures which depend, of course, on the result of the presidential election.
4:26 p.m. : The Prime Minister announces the relaunch of the export recovery check and VIE check schemes intended to help exporting companies.
4:24 p.m. : Additional aid will be offered to the transport sector, after consultation between Minister Delegate Jean-Baptiste Djebbari and stakeholders in the sector. The reimbursement of the TICPE will be accelerated.
4:22 p.m. : The losses of the breeders will be compensated for four months, to compensate for the increase in the cost of animal feed, announces Jean Castex. “A deposit of 25% of the reimbursement of the TICPE on non-road diesel” will also be paid to them “in the next weeks”.
4:20 p.m. : Other measures of the plan announced by Jean Castex target specific sectors. Fishermen will receive aid of 35 cents per liter of fishing diesel, from tomorrow morning until July 31. In some ports in Brittany, the boats have not been going out to sea since Monday.
4:19 p.m. : The Prime Minister also announces an increase in the ceiling of the loan guaranteed by the State; easier access to deferrals of tax and social charges for companies affected by energy prices or the loss of exports to Ukraine or Russia; and a widening of the possibilities of recourse to partial activity.
4:17 p.m. : Jean Castex announces new aid for companies whose gas and electricity expenditure represents at least 3% of turnover, “and which could make losses in 2022 due to the increase in their energy costs”. Its amount will be half of the company’s energy expenditure, regardless of size or sector.
4:13 p.m. : The discount of 15 cents per liter of fuel will be extended to natural gas vehicles and LPG, announces Jean Castex. He calls on distributors to “to go beyond” of this rebate, and asserts that Total has undertaken to do so.
4:10 p.m. : The Prime Minister describes his “resilience plan” as having to be “effective in the very short term, to deal with the immediate consequences of the crisis”but also allow to “draw the consequences for the years to come”.
4:09 p.m. : “We have a duty to prepare for a long crisis, and to accept that the measures we have already taken and those we could take tomorrow have potentially serious consequences for Russia but also, to a lesser degree, on our economies. .”
4:07 p.m. : “We must assume to engage with Russia in a political and economic balance of power without any concessions. (…) These measures are effective. They have already weakened the Russian economy.”
4:04 p.m. : The government’s online platform has received more than 90,000 offers of accommodation for refugees fleeing Ukraine, says Jean Castex. More than 5,300 people have already benefited from accommodation.
4:03 p.m. : Prime Minister Jean Castex presents the “resilience plan” supposed to protect the French economy from the consequences of the invasion of Ukraine. Watch his speech live.
2:12 p.m. : Let’s take stock of the news of the day:
• Negotiations continue. Russia says it is open to an agreement if Ukraine accepts a status of neutrality, on the model of Sweden or Austria, but kyiv immediately dismissed this option, demanding more guarantees on its security.
• Jean Castex must present at 4 p.m. a “resilience plan” to respond to the difficulties resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in particular the increase in the prices of energy and raw materials.
• The Minister of the Interior is due to arrive in Corsica shortly. The French government is “ready to go as far as autonomy”, said Gérald Darmanin in Corse-Morning. But this development requires a “long process”he just clarified.