About 18 percent of gas stations in France are currently facing fuel shortages, the government said on Tuesday, as rising prices at the pumps prompted drivers in the western part of the country to block a road, pointing to growing discontent among the population.
As the war between the US and Israel on the one hand and Iran on the other enters its sixth week, oil supply disruptions have sent crude and fuel prices soaring in many parts of the world.
Deputy Energy Minister Maud Bregeon said that the shortages in France were the result of internal logistical problems, not a consequence of the war.
She added that French oil company TotalEnergies’ decision to freeze fuel prices, keeping them below competitive levels, had led to an increased flow of drivers to their pumps, further straining supplies.
The company TotalEnergies announced that they are maintaining the maximum price of unleaded gasoline at 1.99 euros per liter during April, while they have increased the limit for diesel to 2.25 euros per liter, approaching the prices of other distributors. They added that the price of diesel will be lower for their electricity and gas customers, according to Reuters.
France introduced support measures to mitigate the consequences of rising oil prices, targeting the most vulnerable sectors. These include more than €70 million in fuel subsidies for the transport, agriculture and fisheries sectors during April, extra help for low-income households to pay their energy bills, and loans for small businesses.
The country has yet to face protests on the scale of the Yellow Vests movement of 2018 and 2019, when a diesel tax hike sparked mass protests across the country and months of discontent against President Emmanuel Macron.
However, some truckers and drivers set up a roadblock in Nantes on Tuesday to highlight their problems.
– If things don’t change, I’m afraid, we’re all afraid, that there could be a wave of layoffs in the coming months. For some companies, the situation becomes very difficult.
We already had bad weather conditions at the beginning of the year. And now we have the problem of rising prices of diesel and fuel for work machines. This affects our liquidity, which is not at an enviable level anyway – said Charlotte Lucas, an entrepreneur engaged in construction projects.
(Vijesti.ba / FENA)
