Fuel prices: Leclerc no longer believes in a rapid decrease; the bill is likely to be long-lasting.

Those who were anxiously awaiting the slightest improvement on the gas station's electronic display will have to swallow their optimism. Michel-Édouard Leclerc, a guest on CNews on Monday, dampened the mood: according to him, fuel prices "won't be coming down anytime soon." Ten days earlier, the head of the E.Leclerc strategic committee had sounded more confident, suggesting a short-term decline. The shift is sharp, almost abrupt, and it speaks volumes about the current climate of anxiety.

Because on the ground, he explains, purchase prices fluctuate without warning, making any supply strategy risky. He speaks of variations "of 60 cents" and utters this phrase that sums up the current situation: "It's impossible to have a purchasing plan" for the coming days. The consumer, for their part, sees fuel costs eating into their budget, and every trip becomes a minor negotiation.

Behind these upheavals, the international context weighs heavily. The crisis in the Middle East continues, and the Strait of Hormuz, a key passage for oil flows, remains blocked by Iran. On Monday, April 20, the price of a barrel of oil rose, fueling fears about supply and transportation. When this bottleneck closes, even partially, the entire chain is strained, from the tankers to the refinery, right down to the pump nozzle.

At the pump, the war dictates the pace

The entrepreneur is no longer talking about a few difficult weeks but about a prolonged period. He mentions "at least six months" of disruption, extending into winter, pointing to the state of the affected infrastructure and the ships still immobilized in the area. In other words, the idea of ​​a rapid decline is fading, and the prospect of a persistently high price is taking hold, like a weather pattern that refuses to change.

On the political front, the debate over retailers' profit margins has resurfaced, and Michel-Édouard Leclerc dismisses the idea of ​​price controls, arguing that this "won't bring prices down." He warns against targeting the wrong people and proposes an alternative: temporarily suspending, with a "month-by-month" adjustment, certain taxes linked to energy savings certificates, for an impact he estimates at around 17 cents per liter. He also emphasizes that the profits are mainly made "by oil-producing states, retailers, refiners, and traders," and suggests that the VAT surplus resulting from the price increase could be redirected to certain sectors, given that he considers economic growth to be under threat.

One unpleasant but persistent truth remains: as long as the price of oil remains subject to geopolitical tensions and maritime blockades, no matter how much France discusses taxes and profit margins, drivers will continue to pay for this uncertainty per liter. The coming weeks will reveal whether the government opts for fiscal mitigation, whether distributors can further reduce their margins, and to what extent the everyday economy will accept this price increase as the new normal.