Cafetiers and restaurateurs will have the right to heat their terraces for a few more months. In an interview with Courrier Picard on Sunday, August 2, the Minister of Ecological Transition Barbara Pompili announced that this ban would ultimately not be effective before winter 2021. The government originally said it wanted to ban heated terraces from spring 2021.
This change in schedule is intended to breathe life into restaurateurs hard hit by the coronavirus crisis, which imposed on them several months of closure during confinement. Sanitary measures still affect their activity since deconfinement, with the wearing of a mask compulsory when traveling in particular.
«Ecological aberration»
Barbara Pompili wanted to prove that she had taken the measure of the difficult period that the sector is going through. “I obviously hear the difficulties faced by cafetiers and restaurateurs and that is why this measure will not apply this winter, but next year. We will conduct consultations and support them in this transition», Said the former member of the Somme.
On the other hand, the Minister does not budge an iota: the heated terraces are “ecological aberrations»Doomed to disappear. “A terrace equipped with five braziers emits as much CO2 during a winter as a car that circulates the world three times, she argued. It’s absurd, and it’s expensive in energy».
Economic impact
Will French restaurants and cafes be able to adapt to this upcoming ban? According to figures from Food Service Vision, two-thirds of cafes, bars and restaurants have a terrace. The heating ban could deprive these establishments “from 5 to 10% of their annual turnover», According to François Blouin, founder of the Food Service Vision firm, interviewed by Le Figaro.
Voices from the restaurant sector have also spoken in recent weeks to criticize the method: drawing inspiration from the recommendations of the Citizen’s Climate Convention, the government has devoted little time to consultation with professionals on this issue. precise point.
–
