Inflation: the government will ensure that industrial margins remain "reasonable"

Europe 1 with AFP / Photo credit: LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP 21:55 p.m., September 28, 2023

The economy minister said Thursday that the government will ensure that the margins of industrialists remain "reasonable" at a time when it tries to curb inflation and has just presented a bill to advance trade negotiations with distributors. "We will ensure (...) that there is a commitment on the part of industrialists on margin levels," warned Bruno Le Maire on France 2.

The President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron had said Sunday want to find with the major industrialists "an agreement on the moderation of margins in the sector" with "controllers who will carry out checks".

"A damn effective instrument"

Bruno Le Maire praised "a damn effective instrument", the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF) whose "several hundred agents" could be responsible for monitoring these margins. The latter can "take care of trade negotiations, price controls on the shelves, watch over margins, rely on the Observatory of prices and margins," said the minister. "Manufacturers also have an interest in prices returning to normal so that there are consumers and their companies can turn," said Bruno Le Maire.

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The bill intended to fight inflation by advancing trade negotiations between manufacturers and distributors "to pass on as quickly as possible the reductions" in price, was presented Wednesday in the Council of Ministers. Bercy targets in the text the 75 largest industrialists who "represent more than 50% of the market share," said Tuesday the ministry to the press. The bill must now be debated in Parliament.