“Stop all that! We are a great country, we have a great energy model, we are going to hold out this winter despite the war. And I ask everyone to do their job,” said the president arriving at a European summit in Tirana, Albania.
“The scenarios of fear, not for me! We all remain united and we move forward”, concluded Emmanuel Macron, who also considered “stupid” the “debate” he had “heard in recent hours”.
Government spokesman Olivier Véran had already assured that power cuts were not “inevitable” this winter if the French made “small additional gestures”.
“We have the full capacity collectively to avoid any risk of cuts, whatever the winter conditions”, said Olivier Véran, who said he was certain of “being able to avoid the worst”.
“Collectively, we have started to reduce our electricity consumption,” added the government representative.
This did not prevent the opposition from strongly criticizing the government and the possible power cuts.
“People who are on artificial respirators and whose lives are threatened by the stopping of this artificial respirator are not essential to the government”, was indignant the leader of the National Rally deputies, Marine Le Pen, in press conference, denouncing in clippings “the extraordinary regression of our country”.
The energy crisis is the consequence “of the mistakes of petty politicians who have not been statesmen”, judged on CNews Eric Ciotti, in the race for the head of the Les Républicains party.
Green MP for Paris Sandrine Rousseau suggested on BFMTV to cut off electricity “in extremely consuming infrastructures such as airports” or supermarkets but to “keep schools open”, considering that the “anger of people in very great precariousness and who are cold at home” is “unheard of”.
“The cuts are Macron. The responsibility of the government and of Macron is total. They have not done the work on sobriety, thermal renovations and renewables”, denounced the deputy of rebellious France Matthias Tavel.
In a press briefing at the Assembly, the Communist deputy Sébastien Jumel castigated the “chaotic”, “infantilizing” and “guilt-inducing” communication of the executive on these possible cuts, judging the government “solely responsible for the energy situation in which we is”.
On Saturday, Mr. Macron had already called on the French not to “panic” in the face of the risk of power cuts, even judging that they could be avoided if consumption were reduced by 10%.
The government, which anticipates “all scenarios” in the event of a power shortage, sent a circular on November 30 to the prefects to prepare their departments for “targeted and scheduled power cuts”, according to the document.
