Passoires of warmth: retropedaling in three acts by Bruno Le Maire | Retrospective parsing of Bruno Le Maire's position | 120 charactersPassoires of Heat: Retropedaling in 3 Acts by Bruno Le Maire | Retrospective parsing of Bruno Le Maire's position

Minister of the French economy Bruno Le Maire has been forced to backtrack on his position after speaking out in favor of delaying the ban on the rental of heat passes. In an interview with the newspaper Le Parisien, published on October 27, but excerpts of which became available as early as the evening of October 26, the minister said he was open to a postponement of the ban on renting out thermal passageways. The measure, which is due to come into force on January 1, 2025, only applies to dwellings classified as "G" on the diagnostic of energy efficiency (DPE), a scale that takes into account several building characteristics such as the quality of insulation, the type of windows and the method of heating.

To justify his position, Bruno Le Maire refers to the situation of the real estate market, which is slowing down. New residential construction remains low, and interest rates have more than tripled over the past two years to fight inflation, falling from 1.06% in December 2021 to 3.63% in August 2023. "I believe that everything that was decided before interest rates were raised deserves to be reconsidered in light of this crisis. What was possible when money was available becomes impossible at these high rates," he explained. "You have to be very pragmatic and see if the schedules can be changed. "

"Personally," he added, cautiously. This was not enough for several members of the majority who publicly expressed their displeasure with the minister.

This criticism has taken its toll. Presenting the 2024 budget to the press today, Bruno Le Maire returned to his remarks as if nothing had happened. "There are no plans to change the schedule that has been set, it's just a matter of making things easier and clearer for our compatriots." The planned timelines set by the Climate and Sustainability Act will not change. "G+" residential rentals have already been banned since the beginning of this year, and "F" residential rentals will be banned in 2028. While Emmanuel Macron unveiled his environmental planning plan on Monday and wants to make the fight against heatwaves a major project of his presidency, Bruno Le Maire's divergent views reveal divisions within the government that the executive would prefer to avoid.