France is going to allow the sale of fuel at a loss – Kommersant

In the face of rising fuel prices, France is going to temporarily lift the ban on the sale of fuel to retail consumers below purchase prices. She stated this yesterday, September 16, in an interview with the newspaper Le Parisien French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne. In France, since 1963, there has been a law prohibiting gas stations and other retailers from selling fuel at a loss.

This summer, amid strong price increases, French authorities urged fuel and food retailers to cut their profits by selling these essential goods cheaper. Energy company TotalEnergies has extended the ceiling on retail fuel prices until the end of the year. Some French supermarkets launched promotions to sell gasoline at cost.

Ms Bourne called the temporary lifting of the ban an unprecedented measure and said it would likely last several months. Such a measure could spur competition among retailers, so that some would be willing to sell fuel below cost, hoping to make up for it by having consumers buy other products along with the fuel. Ms Born noted that by doing so the government would not have to introduce fuel subsidies – “it is normal for large companies to contribute” to solving public problems such as the effects of inflation.

Yana Rozhdestvenskaya