Strikes disrupt fuel supplies in 1/3 of gas stations in Paris Region

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
1 Apr 2023 23:20

This indicates that 10% of gas stations across France are still impacted by the fuel crisis.

Cars and motorcycles queue for fuel at a gas station in Paris on October 13, 2022. (AFP)

According to French media, gas stations in France continue to witness fuel shortages with 30% of stations in the Ile-de-France region, commonly known as the Paris Region, having at least one type of fuel unavailable.

The BFMTV broadcaster reported fuel shortages in the Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur region and in the country's east, adding that 30% of filling stations in Paris and the Paris Region are either completely out of fuel or lack one or more types of it.

In particular, over 40% of pumps in the Val-de-Marne department of Ile-de-France (Paris Region) suffered fuel supply shortages.

Just last week, French sources reported that the proportion of gas pumps in France suffering from fuel shortages stood at 15.72%.

Across the country, approximately 1,100 gas stations lack the most desired types of gasoline, SP95 and SP98, and diesel, as per data from an online service for fuel shortage tracking, in addition to 250 gas pumps being reported as completely empty.

This indicates that 10% of gas stations across France are still impacted by the fuel crisis, which comes amid the country's widespread protests as a result of President Emmanuel Macron's controversial pension reform plan.

France is undergoing turmoil as demonstrations and strikes erupted across the country over the government's pension reform law, which has been met with strong opposition and led to the shuttering of services, blocking of roads, and widespread protests amid heavy security deployment and repeated violent clashes.

Hundreds of thousands of French people have since January marched against the reform, which includes raising the retirement age from 62 to 64.

On March 27, France's largest refinery plant, Gonfreville-l'Orcher, owned by TotalEnergies, suspended operations due to a workers' strike against the pension reform.

The lower house's chairwoman, Yael Braun-Pivet, declared that "the law is regarded adopted from this point forward."

Following the decision, on March 20, the government narrowly survived a no-confidence motion, but the outrage has initiated the biggest domestic crisis of Macron's second term.