The map below shows the comparison between France and its EU neighbours.

Expliquez-moi pourquoi quasiment personne, chez les commentateurs et donneurs de leçon des #medias mainstream, ne s'avère capable de relayer cette #info pourtant vérifiée et vérifiable, à savoir que la France est LA SEULE, en #Europe à limiter ainsi les ravages de l'#inflation? pic.twitter.com/RrOEIG88n5

— Thierry de Cabarrus (@tcabarrus) June 1, 2022

In the eurozone area, the annual inflation rate was ranked at approximately 7.5 percent.

Meanwhile, Eurostat estimates that France’s inflation is at about 5.4 percent – lower than the eurozone average, and considerably below the  countries such as Estonia (19 percent), the Netherlands (11.2 percent), Spain (8 percent), and Germany (7.8 percent).

Meanwhile in the UK inflation stands at 9 percent, and in the US at 8.3 percent.

Euro area annual #inflation up to 7.4% in March https://t.co/vUlSPGckq4 pic.twitter.com/B0RHufUgpK

— EU_Eurostat (@EU_Eurostat) April 21, 2022

So what accounts for the difference?

The major difference is France’s use of nuclear power, which accounts for about 70 percent of the country’s electricity production and 40 percent of its overall energy consumption.

This makes it less vulnerable to shocks arouns gas prices, which have soared against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine. 

It also would allow to maintain energy independence in a non-fossil fuel world. As an example, the majority of France’s energy production comes from nuclear and is one of the only major European countries that’s not reliant on Putin’s gas and oil pic.twitter.com/kXd0nn8lNL

— Clément Miao (@clementmiao) February 6, 2021

On top of France’s use of nuclear energy, the country has also seen several measures taken by the government to attempt to limit rising inflation – particularly linked to household purchasing power.

The most impactful have been the tariff shield which freezes prices of electricity and household gas for consumers, as well as an 18c per litre fuel rebate to help drivers. 

The economics think-tank, Astères, did a study to determine the impact of measures on limiting inflation, and they found, using data from April and earlier, that the total inflation would have been 1.6 points higher without these two measures. 

Additionally, France has seen a measured increase in wages – approximately 2.5 percent, to be specific.

So what is France planning to continue keeping its inflation comparatively low?

Food grants

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne announced that a chèque alimentaire (food cheque) will be available to low income households in September. The proposal is for the money – amount as yet unspecified – to be paid directly into people’s bank accounts. 

READ MORE: French PM announces aid cheques for people struggling with price hikes

An extension of the fuel discount

Macron’s government is seeking to extend the 18c per litre fuel discount until at least the end of August. 

An extension of the tariff shield

The cap on electricity and gas prices will last until at least the end of 2022, and possibly into 2023.

A revaluation of pensions, salaries, and benefits

Retirement pensions will be indexed to inflation starting with the July pension, which is paid on August 9th. It is worth noting that this indexation concerns basic pensions – not supplementary plans. The Prime Minister announced that the increase would be about 4 percent, which is close to France’s current inflation rate. 

Unemployment and disability benefits will also be increased, though the specific amount has not yet been announced. 

An increased ceiling on the “Macron bonus”

The ‘Macron bonus,’ which allows companies to offer tax-free bonuses to their employees, will have its ceiling raised to up to €3,000. This is optional for companies, however.

Taxes to not rise with inflation

The Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, said that he wanted to “remove the concern” that the French might end up paying more taxes because of inflation, adding to BFMTV that it is “out of the question that French employees would pay more taxes because of inflation.”

Getting rid of the TV licence

The TV licence will be abolished in the autumn, with a saving for households of €138, that is to say a loss of revenue for the State of more than €3 billion.

Other possible measures

The Prime Minister said she is asking her government to consider extending the €1 meal ticket for university students in school canteens, as well as consulting ways to adapt the current method of calculating future increases in rent, which are currently indexed to inflation. A total freeze seems to have been ruled out, however.