Editor's Note
This editor’s note highlights the key facts and market implications behind “Fuel Prices Will Not ‘Drop Anytime Soon,’ Says M”, with emphasis on sourcing, product fit, fabrication, logistics, or buyer impact.
The president of the strategic committee of E. Leclerc centers, Michel-Edouard Leclerc, estimated on Monday that fuel prices will not "drop anytime soon," just before a new summons of distributors to the French Ministry of Economy, which did not lead to concrete announcements.
The figure of the Leclerc centers, invited on Europe 1 radio in the early morning, expects "at least six months, perhaps until next winter, of energy crisis ahead of us."
During a meeting where the Minister of Economy, Roland Lescure, and the Minister for SMEs Serge Papin received the distributors, "the State asked for loyalty in practices and transparency in prices at the pump," the ministry indicated.
"There was a reminder from the government asking all distributors in a very firm manner to pass on price decreases more quickly at the pump," said the French Union of Petroleum Industries (Ufip), which believes that "distributors are playing the game."
The latest figures from the Directorate General for Energy and Climate (DGEC), as of Friday, show timid decreases over the past week: seven cents on a liter of diesel to 2.24 euros, and 1.2 cents on a liter of Super unleaded 95 E10, to 1.98 euros, according to Ufip.
"The ministers asked fuel distributors for a precise and objective report on the evolution and calculation of their margins, which must be presented in the coming days," the ministry stated, adding that "bilateral interviews are being organized between the State and each distributor by Thursday," the date on which a new meeting will be held.
“We can think that they have margins, brand by brand, (…) and perhaps they have seen networks that are not playing the game,” estimated a participant in the meeting, for whom bilateral interviews can allow “to explain face to face with each player.”
But the volatility of oil prices complicates things: "it will not drop anytime soon and if it drops, which I hope, it should be serious because for the moment it's a yo-yo," declared Michel-Edouard Leclerc, as oil prices soared again on Monday after renewed tensions between Washington and Tehran.
As a result, the decree to cap margins, which the government threatens to implement if distributors do not play the game, is not suitable, according to Francis Pousse, president of the professional union Mobilians, which represents 5,800 traditional service stations (excluding hypermarkets).
“Someone who has not been resupplied” since the drop in prices and therefore bought their raw materials at a high price, “does not have the means” to pass on the decrease at the pump, he explained to AFP.
If the decree were to be issued, he hopes that Thursday's meeting will allow "to find the best solution so that the reference price is faithful to the market."
“It is impossible today even for an operator, for a distributor, for a buyer to have a purchasing plan,” explained Michel-Edouard Leclerc, mentioning “volatilities of 60 cents sometimes in a week on a liter.”
Source: Read the original article | Published: April 20, 2026