“No need to rush to gas stations”. Barbara Pompili called on the French on Thursday not to rush on gasoline, in the event of an embargo on Russian oil, assuring that France was “quiet for many months”.
“Today we have no supply problem in France, we are working to have other suppliers and we have reserves (…) so I say to our fellow citizens: no need to rush to petrol stations, there is what it takes, ”assured the Minister for Ecological Transition on Franceinfo.
“We are quiet for many months”
“We are quiet for many months”, she assured, evoking however for diesel “a few small questions of rerouting storage which can take a little time”. The EU proposed on Wednesday, as part of a new package of sanctions against Moscow, a gradual ban on Russian oil imports by the end of 2022. Such an embargo “necessarily may have consequences”, noted the minister, especially on the price of fuel. But “these consequences will be mitigated as we have been doing for months for the French”.
Asked about the end scheduled for July 31 of the 15 centimes per liter discount device at the pump, she reiterated that the government was working on a replacement system, adding that it could be extended if necessary. “If we see that we need to extend for lots of reasons, we will extend. In any case, we will not leave our fellow citizens without a solution, ”assured Barbara Pompili.
A progressive Russian oil embargo
But “the idea is to replace this measure on the 15 cents with a measure that would be more targeted and that would affect more those who need it most, and in particular for example the big rollers”. “We are working on it at the moment and the idea is to get there this summer. If ever we have to take a little more time, we will leave the 15 cents, ”she assured.
During the presentation on Wednesday of a sixth package of sanctions against Russia, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen proposed a gradual ban on oil imports, to “make Vladimir Putin pay a high price”.
But Hungary opposed it. The project “cannot be supported in its current form. In all responsibility, we cannot vote for”, announced Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, while the decision must be taken unanimously.