This measure, which will cost the state around 2 billion euros, concerns households and businesses alike and will be “valid on all fuels”, the Prime Minister told Le Parisien newspaper. “This means that for every 60 liters you will save 9 euros,” he said.
This reduction will be made at the time of payment, at the cash desk or by credit card at the pump, and will therefore not be immediately visible on the prices displayed at the entrance to the station, detailed the head of government.
If the State will then “reimburse” the distributors, Jean Castex called on them, just like the “oil companies”, to make “an additional gesture” themselves.
“How would the French understand that they pay a full tank of diesel at 2 euros, while at the same time the oil companies are still making big profits,” he wondered.
“If the State makes an effort of 15 cents per liter, and if they make an effort of 5 cents, for example, it is indeed 20 cents that must end up in the pocket of the French”, further urged the Prime Minister .
In an attempt to stem the effects of the continuous rise in energy prices for months, aggravated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the government has already taken several measures, such as freezing the price of gas, limiting it to 4 % of the increase in electricity, or even an “exceptional energy check”.
This series of measures represents more than 20 billion, according to Mr. Castex.
The Prime Minister must also unveil next week “an economic and social resilience plan” in the face of the consequences of the war in Ukraine.
Asked about a possible clientelism trial, less than a month before the first round of the presidential election for which the Head of State Emmanuel Macron is a candidate, Mr. Castex argued that the price of fuel had become “the first concern of the French”.