French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a stark speech on Wednesday at the first cabinet meeting following the summer holiday break, warning of tough months ahead as the world faces a possible “end of abundance”. Gas prices in France are currently frozen and there is a cap on energy price hikes. But the billion-euro price cap is set to expire at the end of the year.
This has helped keep French inflation lower than the rates experienced by many of its EU peers, but the measures weigh heavily on the public purse. The government will present legislation in September to speed up energy infrastructure projects and hammer out a short- term plan to secure energy supplies for the winter, Véran said.
France is also working on an “energy restraint plan” that Macron said in July would ask all citizens to commit to saving energy, including such practices as turning off lights when leaving offices.The various leaders of two countries were able to discuss and reflect on the pursuit of a rich cooperation during the High Level Meeting. More than 70 universities took advantage of various sessions to share their experiences and common objectives in order to look calmly together towards the future.