France Orders Fuel Retailers to Show Margins as Price Caps Loom

Overview

• After a meeting at Bercy on Monday, the government told each fuel distributor to submit a detailed breakdown of how their margins have changed, with bilateral check-ins due by Thursday and a follow-up session that afternoon.
• Ministers warned they could cap margins by decree if recent market falls are not passed through, keeping a ready draft as a deterrent and pointing to the drop in oil from about $115 to under $90 a barrel last week.
• The energy minister rejected calls to suspend energy savings certificates, a levy that funds efficiency and transition projects, despite retailers arguing a pause would cut pump prices by about 15 to 17 cents per litre.
• A targeted €50 million aid package for road transport took effect Sunday for small and mid-sized operators, and officials are preparing a second round of sector support for May.
• Pump prices remain high despite a slow easing in some stations, industry leaders flag fresh volatility and supply risks, and a new social EV lease opens in July for 50,000 cars at about €100 to €200 a month for low-income drivers.