Emmanuel Macron is impatient. Faced with the fuel crisis which drags on and faced with the risk of contagion of the social movement with the strikes scheduled for Tuesday, October 18, the Head of State has decided to take up the file before the situation escapes him.
On Monday, a meeting at the Elysée was organized around him, at the end of the afternoon, in the presence of Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and the ministers in charge of the subject – Bruno Le Maire (economy), Clément Beaune (transport) , Agnès Pannier-Runacher (energy transition) and Christophe Béchu (ecological transition). Government spokesman Olivier Véran was also present.
The challenge: to take stock of the shortages and, above all, to organize the response. The President of the Republic intends to put “a boost” in the resolution of the crisis, we say at the Elysée, so that within two or three days, improvements are visible.
Emmanuel Macron intended in particular to ensure that after the requisitions of personnel ordered by the government, the supply of service stations is correctly carried out. “I stand alongside all our compatriots who are struggling and who are tired of this situation”, he had assured earlier in the day, during his visit to the Paris Motor Show. Before launching: “I want this to be resolved as soon as possible. »
A still tense situation
After playing the tightrope walker, putting back to back the CGT, accused of blocking the country, and the companies, Esso-ExxonMobil and TotalEnergies, to advance wage negotiations, the executive is raising its voice to break the impasse.
“The decision that was taken is to mobilize a notch above the prefects in support of Total, Esso, to speed up the delivery of fuel to service stations in conjunction with carriers”, explained Agnès Pannier-Runacher on Monday evening, on RTL, acknowledging a still tense situation. At the end of the afternoon, 28.1% of service stations were still experiencing supply difficulties against more than 30% the day before. “We are doing everything we can to improve this situation on the eve of the All Saints holidays”assured the Minister, while the strike continues at TotalEnergies a few days before departures on vacation, Friday.
“When it can no longer, it comes together! This is a sign that they are in trouble and that the Prime Minister did not convince last night”mocks Bruno Retailleau, the leader of the senators Les Républicains, evoking the intervention of Elisabeth Borne the day before on the television news of TF1 to convince of the mobilization of the government in the fuel crisis.
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