Fuels: Édouard Philippe calls for a doubling of targeted aid

Édouard Philippe, presidential candidate, asked the government on Wednesday for a “doubling” of targeted aid to compensate for the surge in fuel prices, which would be financed by “savings on state spending”. “I call for the immediate doubling of targeted aid, financed by savings on state spending, to support those who depend on their car to get to work,” wrote Emmanuel Macron's former prime minister on the social network X, without specifying what expenses would be affected.

Because “for many, today, refueling has become a sacrifice,” believes the president of Horizons. The former tenant of Matignon, in charge during the “Yellow Vests” crisis at the end of 2018, explains that “experience has taught him that before asking the French to make an effort” as the government is considering in its next budget, “we must always take into account what they are experiencing”.

In the longer term, Édouard Philippe intends to “accelerate” the electrification of the country, which is “the solution” to escape dependence on hydrocarbons. The one who launched the race for the Élysée with the leitmotif of straightening out public finances repeats that he also wants to restore “order to the accounts” in order to “find the means to act and protect the French”.

Sébastien Lecornu asked his ministers on Tuesday for additional effort on state spending in 2027, taking into account this “new shock” on energy prices, while calls for mobilization against the high cost of living are increasing. The government is “not closing the door to new fuel aid schemes” “because this situation is becoming more and more difficult,” its spokesperson Maud Bregeon said on Wednesday.