Faced with soaring gas and electricity prices, the government has implemented a tariff shield. The objective is to limit the rise in prices to 4% throughout 2022 with an assurance: that there “will be no catch-up leading to a further rise next year. It is the State and EDF who will bear the cost of this measure”, as indicated by the Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, in the columns of Le Parisien on January 13, 2022.

However, through a press release, the association Consumption Housing Living Environment (CLCV) believes that this aid from the executive “could only be a mirage”. She is concerned about a deliberation of the Energy Regulation Commission (CRE) dated March 31, 2022 which “requests a tariff catch-up of around 8%” of the price of electricity.

Monday May 30, 2022, Bruno Le Maire wanted to reassure the French by reiterating his commitment made a few months earlier: “I want to be very clear with our compatriots, there will be no catch-up on their electricity bill. French consumers will not see any catch-up related to this financing need on their bill in 2023.”

And this, despite the cost of this measure much higher than expected. As electricity prices have risen, “there will be a need for additional financing in 2023”, specifies the Minister of the Economy, “of the order of two billion euros”.

To finance this measure, the executive is preparing a finance bill which will be studied “next October, for 2023”.