Help for businesses particularly exposed to the consequences of the war in Ukraine. The government specified, on Saturday July 2, the eligibility criteria for its “economic and social resilience plan” to compensate for the increase in gas and electricity costs for companies, according to a decree published in the Official Journal. This plan was announced on March 16 by the government, but was not validated by the European Commission until June 30.
Companies will be able to submit their requests for emergency “gas and electricity” aid from July 4, says the Ministry of Economy. This help “aims to support the competitiveness of companies and to avoid production stoppages at the sites that consume the most gas and electricity and, in particular, those providing essential production”according to Bercy.
Up to 50 million euros in aid
To be eligible, companies must have made gas and electricity purchases amounting to at least 3% of their turnover in 2021 and have suffered a doubling of the price of gas per eligible period, from March to May 2022. on the one hand, from June to August 2022 on the other hand, compared to the average price over the year 2021.
The amount of aid depends on the level of business operating losses. It can go up to 50 million euros for companies in 26 industrial sectors including the steel industry, the manufacture of certain metals and glasses, that of a large number of chemical products, synthetic rubber or even paper pulp.
The Ministry of Agriculture, for its part, announced in mid-June an envelope of 150 million euros dedicated to covering social security contributions for agricultural and fishing exports according to the resilience plan, to cushion inflation linked to the war in Ukraine. The release of a first salvo of aid of more than 300 million euros for breeders and fish farmers was announced at the end of May.
