His challenge is there ore not a real need

Energy news: a rance gas-Suez Merger opponents wield the preamble to the 1946 Constitution and the law o nationalization o 1946 to describe illegal pri atization o gas o rance that would result. What do you think

Maurice Kriegel- alrimont: I will make a irst obser ation. Since 1946, all the Go ernments ha e ceased to repeat that the nationalization o the electricity and gas sector has been an unquestionable success and that they maintain in the public sector. There ore, to proceed today otherwise, say the opposite o what it had stated clearly. To question the ormer legislation would be shirking its own commitments...

E.n.: Ad ocates o pri atization o gas o rance explained that the gas is not a "public ser ice national (1)" because the whole o the population is not ser ed by this energy...

M .K - . : Could not say that this is an argument. At best, this is a nit... The truth is that the demand or gas is a national application because the will o the whole o the population is to obtain the supply o the gas at the national le el.

E.n.: The 1946 Act amended by the Act o August 2004 (see box p. 6) imposes a common distribution between ED and gas o rance ser ice. Howe er, a merger with Suez seems not compatible with the existence o such a common ser ice...

M .K - . : I you see people all o er the country, you will see that they are satis ied with the current organization o the distribution. His challenge is there ore not a real need. It is inspired by this really wild liberalism where inancial speculation and the submission to the interests o money decided to place the interests o the population and o those working in the sector.

E.n.: Between 1946 and 2006, it may be noted a similarity with regard to the lack o production capacity - shouting at the time, announced today by all the experts or the uture. And as in 1946, some pro ide that the State is best placed to inance new means o production, others that it is the pri ate sector...

M .K - . : To your note, must be added the act that we are today at any le el! I you compare the time energy production to what is currently a ailable, we are in multiple. And one o the reasons that helped achie e these multiple is, precisely, the proper unctioning o State-owned enterprises. This urther strengthens the need or their retention in the public sector.

E.n.: ight back the idea o a merger between ED and gas o rance

M .K - . : The question e en does not arise. In all respects, the history o ED and gas o rance shows that the nationalized sector in 1946 unquestionably ser ed the general interests!

E.n.: Times ha e changed, proponents o a ailo er in the pri ate one, gas o rance, or e en o two public companies...

M .K - . : It is true that the situation has changed... but in the sense o strengthening our moti es at the time rather than the contrary, to gi e e en more reasons to promote the general interest against the simple inancial interests. 92 Years, i I no longer ha e easy desolation, I regret this iolation o what the rance had done best in an important area...

1. Paragraph 9 o the preamble to the 1946 Constitution stipulates that "any property, any business that operates has or acquires the character o a national public ser ice or a de acto monopoly must become the property o the community." And since then, the Constitutional Council, in its decision on the constitutionality o the Act o 9 August 2004, considered that "Parliament has con irmed (the) quality o national public ser ices (o rance electricity and gas o rance).".