RUNGIS, France (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday he was in favour of a new gesture on diesel prices, potentially a discount, to help customers grappling with inflation.
“We need that indeed, so that all those who work hard and take their car can continue to move forward,” Macron told reporters on an early morning visit to the Rungis food market, on the outskirts of Paris.
“I hope that the dialogue between the ministry and the companies concerned can be finalized as was done last year on fuels with rebates at the pump which had been made by companies like Total,” he said.
French energy giant TotalEnergies had offered a discount of 0.12 euros per litre on fuel at its motorway service stations in France from July 1 to Aug. 31 2022.
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Those discounts came on top of fuel rebates introduced earlier that year by the French government. Energy prices soared in many countries in the immediate aftermath of Ukraine’s invasion by Russia launched almost a year ago.
The French government is also meeting with retailers this week to find ways to help shoppers cope with high food price inflation, with a view to finding a solution to the problem by March 15.
(Reporting by Marine Strauss; Editing by Benoit Van Overstraeten)
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