Louis of Raguenel
modified to
11:20 a.m., October 10, 2022
For several days, service stations have been affected by a lack of one or more fuels. Faced with the crisis, the executive is at an impasse. Matignon has just recorded the release of certain strategic stocks, that is to say the oil warehouses managed by the State and not by the oil companies. Is it sufficient ?
The strike movement in several refineries and French fuel depots, initiated ten days ago, is causing a fuel shortage in many service stations. 60% of service stations are experiencing supply difficulties and are out of at least one fuel on Monday morning, according to the Ministry of Ecological Transition. As a result, many French people have problems going to work. The situation is also complicated for the police, firefighters or even school bus companies.
Faced with this crisis, the government is at an impasse. In private, an adviser to the executive confides to Europe 1 “that there is no strategy”. The government considers that the fuel shortages are due to Total and its difficulties in internal social relations within the company.
A political problem?
Despite everything, Matignon has just validated the release of certain strategic stocks, that is to say the oil warehouses managed by the State and not by the oil companies. Elisabeth Borne wants to be optimistic, from Algeria where she was traveling, the Prime Minister promised Sunday a way out of the crisis and an “improvement of the situation” during the week.
Elisabeth Borne is betting that the pressure put on Total, which has agreed to bring forward its salary negotiation cycles by one month, will result in a gesture of flexibility on the part of the oil company. However, the problem remains political: one in three service stations in France is dry. This figure reaches 55% in Hauts-de-France. Public opinion does not understand the reasons for this crisis, which is completely unrelated to the war in Ukraine.