The perks of working for EDF or "how heating a swimming pool is cheaper than boiling an egg"

"The real public service scandals" was a recent 40-page pullout in the weekly magazine Marianne, in which some light was shed on a number of issues usually under-reported (or largely ignored) by the mainstream media in France.

Schools, hospitals, the police, La Poste, SNCF and others were treated to a pretty thorough analysis, as was one of the nation's "international stars", the utility giant Électricité de France.

It makes fascinating reading.

Electricity prices for households in France are among the lowest in the European Union, but that could well change over the coming few years with a cumulative hike of around 30 per cent forecast by 2017.

Great!

While the rest of France will have to live with the increase, employees - past and present - of EDF, essentially a "public" company, will retain some level of protection.

Yes EDF is still a "public" company.

Although it pretty much operates to all intents and purposes as what might be perceived a "private" company or "limited liability corporation", the state still retains almost 85 per cent ownership.

Anyway, that's rather an aside.

Or is it?

Because wielding so much potential political influence, surely successive governments (and not just the current one) should at least have tried to put an end to a practice which no longer seems to be warranted but also seems downright illogical and not to say unreasonable: the perks enjoyed by the company and its employees.

Since 1946 the company's 300,000 current and retired employees have benefitted from privileges that might have been equitable when introduced but surely now lack credibility.

There is for example the 90 per cent reduction in the amount they pay for each kilowatt-hour of electricity.

Put another way, as it was in a report from the Cour des comptes or Court of auditors in February 2013, EDF employees pay a price per kilowatt-hour that's 16 times less than the average cost to the public.

Confusing figures perhaps but they all add up.

And there's more.

EDF employees don't just pay lower prices for electricity for their main residences.

Oh no.

If they're lucky enough to own a holiday home, the same benefits apply. And even apparently when they rent a house for a couple of weeks while on vacation.

That annual €74 subcription charge? Waived.

In the end, says Marianne, "at such prices, heating a swimming pool (for EDF employees of course) works out less expensive than boiling an egg (would do for everyone else).

But for justification as to why such advantages have remained at current levels since 1951 for electricity and 1962 for gas (yes, for historical reasons employees at GDF-Suez are also treated as a special case) union bigwig at Confédération française démocratique du travail (French Democratic Confederation of Labour, CFDT) Dominique Bousquebaud,  has the following explanation.

Try not to choke as you read.

"The system compensates for the fact that the salaries in the public sector are lower than those in the private and it helps attract better qualified workers," he says.

"It's a way today to compensate for the lack of profit-sharing that can be found at a high level in all major private companies."

Except, once again as Marianne points out, the Cour des comptes says that in fact salaries at EDF are slightly higher than in the equivalent private sector.

There again what does the country's body for auditing public institutions know?

If you want to read more about the tax breaks, the money lost to social security and how successive government have done little or nothing to alter the privileged status of EDF and its employees, try getting your mitts on the May 11-17 copy of Marianne.

Happy reading.

Now does anyone know of an opening at EDF?

It's most definitely not "a man's world" in the race to be mayor of Paris

The French will go to the polls again next year.

No, it won't be a snap parliamentary election called by the president, François Hollande, although the governing Socialist party will undoubtedly be keeping a close eye on the results.

Rather, up and down the country, folk will be choosing mayors and local councillors in the municipal elections.

Oh yes, and if everyone isn't suffering from complete voting fatigue, they'll be able to do it all over again in the European parliamentary elections a couple of months later.

(This might be a good point at which to remind everyone to register and all EU citizens resident here can vote in both).

Anyway, there'll be a great deal of media attention focussed on what happens in Paris next March.

It's not just because the position of mayor of the capital is for some reason "apparently" perceived as a springboard to presidency of the country ("apparently" because in reality only one person in recent history who held the post, later went on to become president - Jacques Chirac).

But also because it's undeniably high profile and prestigious.

The current mayor, Bertrand Delanoë, has been in the job since 2001, but he has ruled out running for a third term, perhaps with more than one eye on entering the national government...should the call come.

So the race is open as to who might succeed him.

His Socialist party has already nominated its official candidate, Delanoë's number two at the moment, Anne Hidalgo.

Anne Hidalgo (screenshot Canal + "La Matinale")

The centre-right opposition Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (Union for a Popular Movement, UMP) is set to hold a primary to choose its candidate, and the choice looks to be a straight one between Rachida Dati and Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet (NKM).

For Jean-Louis Borloo's centrist/centre-right (how confusing) Union des démocrates et indépendants, (Union of Democrats and Independents, UDI), Rama Yade, the former junior minister for human rights under Nicolas Sarkozy, is the person thought most likely to stand.

The current housing minister, Cécile Duflot, is contemplating standing for Europe Écologie – Les Verts (Europe Ecology – The Greens) as is Marielle de Sarnez for the centrist party Mouvement démocrate (Democratic Movement, MoDem).

Yes, in all likelihood the next mayor of Paris - in case you hadn't already noticed - will be a woman.

But which one?

And will the battle for office be any...er...different to those that have gone before?

"Softer or gentler" just because it'll be between women?

That would be forgetting that the race is, above all else, a political one.

In all probability (not too much neck being stuck out here) the second-round run-off will be between Hidalgo (currently leading in the polls) and NKM.

But that's certainly not how Dati wants things to pan out.

And she might have an unusual political "ally".

Hidalgo.

Remember the UMP still has to choose its candidate in a primary. And Dati isn't going to give up without a fight.

Dati, a former justice minister and currently a member of the European parliament likes to emphasise her "base" in Paris.

She's mayor of the seventh arrondissement, a safe UMP seat she contested (and unsurprisingly won) in 2008. So that choice bit of party parachuting presumably makes her "Parisian" - in touch with the needs and aspirations of those living there.

Well more so than her opponent in the UMP primary NKM, who has only been an elected representative for a constituency in (horror upon horrors) the outer suburbs of Paris (Essonne, to be exact) since 2002 and mayor of Longjumeau (also in the 'burbs") since 2008.

Now this is where Hidalgo steps in.

Reading between the lines it could be said that Hidalgo would rather have Dati as the UMP's candidate than NKM because, according to opinion polls, beating her would simply be easier.

Why else would she invite Dati and not NKM to join her in the first official debate (on Wednesday)?

"I like debating and it just so happens that we both hold elected positions in Paris (no dig at NKM of course) and are two women with strong convictions able to give their "visions" for the city's future," she told Canal +.

"We've had many discussions in the past and of course don't agree," continued Hidalgo, denying that she was somehow favouring Dati's candidacy over NKM's.

Jean-Marc Germain (screenshot Canal + "La Matinale")

But wait. What was it that a certain member of parliament said on camera just a day ago when asked for his opinion on who would make the better UMP candidate?

"It's not really my place to give advice to the opposition, but if I were, it would be to choose a candidate who's already involved in local politics here in Paris," Jean-Marc Germain said.

"Rachida Dati is someone who has fought to get where she is, and nothing has been handed to her on a plate. It think that's an admirable quality," he continued.

And when asked which UMP candidate he and his wife preferred, Germain answered, "We prefer her (Dati) because she's more involved in local politics in Paris."

Oh yes.

Germain's wife?

Anne Hidalgo.

La Matinale du 17/04 - Part. 1 Les Unes du jour

The French government's love for European affairs

Guess how many ministers France has had for European affairs over the past decade.

Go on guess.

Give up?

The magic figure is 11 after the appointment on Monday of Thierry Repentin to the job.

Thierry Repentin
(screenshot TSI TV interview, February 2012)

All right so he had to step into the shoes of his predecessor Bernard Cazeneuve who was promoted to the post of budget minister in a mini-reshuffle following Jérôme Cahuzac's resignation after being placed under formal investigation for tax fraud and money laundering (now there's a suprise, a government minister accused of alleged financial impropriety, but that's another story)

But Repentin's er..."elevation" to the job, is surely very telling of consecutive French governments' attitude to the position.

Just look at the list of those who've been where Repentin is about "to boldly go" and how long they've spent in a post which, given the  nature and complexity of "Brussels" cannot be an easy one to grasp.

Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres - just over one month in 2002, Noëlle Lenoir - almost two years, Claudie Haigneré - 15 months, Catherine Colonna - just under two years, Jean-Pierre Jouyet - just over one-and-a-half years, Bruno Le Maire - six months, Pierre Lellouche - just under one-and-a-half years, Laurent Wauquiez - seven months, Jean Leonetti - 11 months, Bernard Cazeneuve - 10 months and Thierry Repentin - ?

Crikey, not even Britain with its somewhat ambivalent approach to European affairs has had such a high turnover rate in the same period - eight in the past decade.

It surely indicates one of two things (or both at the same time perhaps); firstly that the ministry doesn't really count for much and the job isn't really important and secondly France doesn't give European affairs much priority.

The best that can perhaps be said is the it's "only" a junior ministry and the top job (under whose umbrella it comes) of foreign minister over the same period has been slightly less...er...volatile.

There again given the nature of French politics and the tendency of successive presidents to take over the reins when necessary, the job of foreign minister has also been something of a musical chairs with seven politicians, including the incumbent Laurent Fabius, holding the post.

So how long will Repentin last as minister for European affairs? Well on past form around 13 months - but don't hold your breath.

France's European minister Laurent Wauquiez's "17-member" Schengen howler

Once again it appears as though a French minister hasn't quite got a grasp of the essentials of the job.

This time around it's the minister for European affairs, Laurent Wauquiez - who clearly needs to brush up his knowledge on the portfolio for which he is responsible...Europe.

Laurent Wauquiez (screenshot from BFM TV interview)

When asked during a television interview how many countries belonged to Schengen, the 36-year-old managed to make a complete mess of his answer - and look a fool in the process.

Schengen is the treaty which "abolishes internal borders, enabling passport-free movement between a large number of European countries" and it has been in the news a lot recently

On Tuesday the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, and the Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, jointly requested that it be revised to deal with what they see as an overwhelming number of North Africans (Tunisians) arriving in Europe.

Appearing on BFM TV's early morning show Bourdin Direct on Wednesday, Wauquiez was slipped a question by the journalist Christophe Jakubyszyn which was seemed almost aimed at tripping him up.

And Wauquiez duly obliged.

Laurent Wauquiez and Christophe Jakubyszyn (screenshot from BFM TV interview)

"You're the minister for European affairs," Jakubyszyn said to Wauquiez in that style French journalists seem to love so much, almost assuming their guest have forgotten what daytime job they held.

"How many countries are there in Schengen?"

"17," replied Wauquiez without a moment's hesitation

"22," was Jakubyszyn's immediate response.

"There are four that aren't members of the European Union but are part of Schengen; Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein."

All right so Wauquiez's mistake is perhaps understandable as it's easy to confuse the 27-strong EU with Schengen.

But not all members of the EU have signed up to Schengen.

And just to complicate matters a little more, as Jakubyszyn pointed out, not all Schengen signatories are EU members.

So perhaps Wauquiez could be forgiven - except that he IS minister for European affairs, and really should know these things.

There again perhaps Jakubyszyn's reply wasn't exactly clear either.

22 refers to the number of EU countries that are part of Schengen, with three other non-EU countries - Iceland, Norway and Switzerland - also fully fledged and Liechtenstein "sort-of-fully-fledged" to the area (this is Europe where NOTHING is ever as clear as it could be).

Take a look at the European Commission Home Affairs site and you'll discover just how many countries officially belong to Schengen.

Then go away and have a very stiff drink.



Wauquiez had the good manners to thank Jakubyszyn for correcting him once the interview had finished.

A wet welcome in Warsaw as Sarkozy gets left out in the cold

This week saw the revival of the Weimar Triangle summit, a get-together of the Polish, French and German leaders "intended to promote co-operation" between the three countries.

It's an informal arrangement which allows a meeting of minds and an exchange of ideas between the leaders of three of the European Union's largest countries (in terms of population).

The event first took place in 1991 and was held regularly until 2006, when the late Polish president, Lech Kaczynski, put an end to them because he was upset at the way in which he was covered in the German media.

Monday's meeting in Warsaw was a chance for the Polish president, Bronisław Komorowski, to resuscitate the event by playing host, and also preparing the ground for Poland which will take over the six-month rotating presidency of the EU in July.

But somehow Komorowski's interpretation of "informal" seemed to go just a little too far as he committed a series of gaffes which left the Polish media amused with his apparent lack of "savoir faire" when it comes to diplomatic protocol.

First up as the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, and the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, arrived at the Wilanów palace to be met by their host, nobody really seemed to know who should enter first or where they should go.

Television news reports showed Sarkozy almost being left behind and then having to be pointed in the right direction by an attending official.



As the leaders stood on a podium in front of the palace with the flags of the three countries fluttering in the background while their respective national anthems were played, it became clear that someone has made a protocol faux pas as the position of the flags didn't correspond with that of the leaders.

But that was nothing, as far as the Polish media was concerned, to the embarrassment of seeing just one umbrella held up to protect the three leaders from the rain.

Because it didn't - shelter them that is. Merkel and Komorowski were covered, but Sarkozy was quite literally left out in the rain.

Merkel and Komorowski sheltered by an umbrella. Sarkozy left standing in the rain (screenshot from Polish television news report)

Interviewed on Polish television, Janusz Sibor, a specialist in diplomatic protocol, said quite clearly that each guest should have been provided with an umbrella, and if anyone had to get wet then it should been the host.

And it brought short shrift from a former head of diplomatic protocol, Jan Piekarski.

“To me, this is quite simply a lack of manners,” he is quoted as saying.

Out of the rain and into the palace, Komorowski once again showed his lack of social graces when he quite happily plonked himself down in a chair not waiting for either of the others to be seated.

"This again seems to me a break with protocol," said Sibor. "The order should be exactly the same as it is when seating guests at home for dinner. The host should show the others where to sit and then take his or her place last."

Amusement and embarrassment might well characterise the Polish media's coverage of what happened, but Sarkozy clearly didn't seem to be too put out and he even went as far as to praise Komorowski for his idea of inviting Russian president Dmitri Medvedev to the next meeting.

Perhaps though a word or two should be whispered in Komorowski's ear before Poland takes over that rotating EU presidency...along the lines of, "Mind you manners Mr President."