Should we fear a new fuel shortage? The rebates at the pump from the government and from TotalEnergies must respectively drop by 20 and 10 centimes, Wednesday, November 16, and this, until the end of the year. This is why queues in front of certain service stations lengthened again this weekend in the face of fears of a drastic increase in prices at the pump. Franceinfo takes stock of the end of this device, a potentially explosive change for the government.
1 What will be the new discount amount?
The “fuel discount” from the government, which was 30 cents per liter in France since October 1 (18 cents between April 1 and August 31), will drop to 10 cents per liter from Wednesday until December 31. As was already the case, the amount of this boost varies depending on the territory, depending on the VAT applied there (from 0% to 20%): it will thus be “only” 9.42 cents in Corsica, and 8.33 cents in Martinique, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Reunion and Mayotte. Originally scheduled to run until October 31, the 30-cent discount has been extended for two weeks due to the strike in the depots and refineries of TotalEnergies.
The reduction continues to apply to all fuels: diesel fuels B0, B7, B10, B30, B100 and XTL, including for non-road use (GNR), gasoline SP95/98-E5, SP95-E10, LPG-c , CNG in compressed (CNG) or liquefied (LNG) form, E85 superethanol, 95 diesel ethanol. “for all private and professional use”recalls the site service-public.fr.
Furthermore, the additional discount applied by TotalEnergie in “nearly 3,500 service stations”, will drop the same day from 20 to 10 cents per litre, until December 31, according to the group’s press release announcing the operation. Again, the discount of 20 cents, which should have stopped at the end of October, was extended in the face of the strike movement within the group.
2Is there a risk of a shortage by Wednesday?
Motorists encountered difficulties in obtaining supplies this weekend, several media reported, including France 3 Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. “Many of our fellow citizens are anticipating the reduction of the rebate at the pump (…) This creates queues at certain service stations”recognize the Ministry of Ecological Transition with franceinfo.
Moreover, the situation has not yet returned to normal in several territories, following the recent strike movement in depots and refineries. Thus, 17.5% of service stations were still out of at least one fuel on Tuesday November 8, according to calculations by franceinfo based on the latest official data available. Ile-de-France, Lyon and its surroundings, as well as Bourgogne-Franche-Comté were experiencing particular difficulties. These areas depend on the Feyzin refinery (Rhône), the last to stop the strike, on November 8, or that of Gonfreville-l’Orcher (Seine-Maritime), where activity did not resume until October 31. However, it takes ten to fifteen days after the strike has been lifted for a return to normal.
In order to avoid a new massive disorganization, the government ensures avoir asked, Saturday, “the depots to extend their hours to compensate for the public holiday of November 11”. “The government is monitoring the situation very closely. The prefects coordinate the action of the operators, indicating the priority areas, directing them to the depots where the stocks are still substantial”precise the same source. Strategic stocks are also freed up to streamline logistics in areas of tension. On their side, Motorway service stations are well supplied, since the out-of-stock rate on at least one fuel was only 2% there this weekend, the ministry said.
3What are the avenues envisaged to fight against the rise in prices?
“You can’t afford a discount for life”hammered Gabriel Attal, Minister Delegate in charge of Public Accounts, Monday on LCI, specifying that the measure had already cost “more than 7 billion euros this year”. In addition, “this aid also finances people from neighboring countries, who come to refuel in France” but also “people who need it, and others who don’t”since it is generalized.
Asked on Sunday on BFMTV about the outlines of the targeted aid that will take over at the start of 2023, the government spokesperson confirmed that it “could” concern between 11 and 12 million people. Olivier Véran, however, did not specified its amount, while indicating that it would be “valid for as long as necessary”.
Gradual end of fuel discounts: Olivier Véran (@olivierveran) says he now wants to “target this money to those who need it most” pic.twitter.com/bRUHkGtzQg
— BFMTV (@BFMTV) November 13, 2022
Gabriel Attal has outlined some eligibility criteria. This help should be “conditioned to work [et] to have earned income”, “to have a car and a vehicle registration number” and to be “in popular or middle-class categories, i.e. people who are struggling to make ends meet”he listed, quantifying the budget for this aid to “1.5 or 1.6 billion” euros. “It will look a lot like the layout the government planned for last summer” and who had been “set aside to extend the discount”he detailed, specifying that its content would be known “in the next weeks”. Those concerned will receive “automatically help on [leur] bank account, after a few days”he promised.