{"id":2147776,"date":"2026-09-16T16:00:54","date_gmt":"2026-09-16T13:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2147776"},"modified":"2026-09-16T16:00:54","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T13:00:54","slug":"france-totalenergies-cut-price-fuel-spikes-controversy-among-rivals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2147776","title":{"rendered":"France: TotalEnergies cut-price fuel spikes controversy among rivals"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/91\/61\/92\/1200x675_cmsv2_a41c8fa7-69b4-55f2-8fa4-e4f87a12a6a1-9916192.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"abe-2926164-pos1-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-1 m-modeDesktop-1 m-modeXL-1\" data-nid=\"2926164\" data-cid=\"9915594\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2926164-label-pos1-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/91\/55\/94\/189x106_cmsv2_ca62bf61-2337-5067-814c-817adc3ff2fa-9915594.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"FILE. Federal Reserve Board Chairman Kevin Warsh speaks during a news conference in Washington, 29 July 2026\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Economy<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Fed hikes rates for the first time since 2023 in unanimous vote\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2926254-pos2-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-1 m-modeDesktop-1 m-modeXL-1 the-media-object--has-video\" data-nid=\"2926254\" data-cid=\"9916076\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2926254-label-pos2-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/91\/60\/76\/189x106_cmsv2_1bf47c44-91f8-5b79-b4ba-ac84062f4f90-9916076.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Former Kosovo president Hashim Thaci, top left, appears before the Kosovo Tribunal \" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    No Comment<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Kosovo war crimes court jails ex-president Hashim Tha\u00e7i for 25 years, sparking mass protests\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2926277-pos3-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-1 m-modeDesktop-1 m-modeXL-1 the-media-object--has-video\" data-nid=\"2926277\" data-cid=\"9916221\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2926277-label-pos3-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/91\/62\/21\/189x106_cmsv2_effa877b-1540-5e35-b70d-d20e80f8d473-9916221.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Local residents unveil a &quot;Principality of Piddington&quot; sign in the village of Piddington\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Europe News<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    English village votes to &#8216;secede&#8217; from UK over asylum centre plan\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2926286-pos4-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-1 m-modeDesktop-1 m-modeXL-1 the-media-object--has-video\" data-nid=\"2926286\" data-cid=\"9916255\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2926286-label-pos4-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/91\/62\/55\/189x106_cmsv2_cd13b8c2-8d28-540b-a0a0-683ae014aa59-9916255.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Latest news bulletin | September 16th, 2026 \u2013 Evening\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Top News Stories Today<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Latest news bulletin | September 16th, 2026 \u2013 Evening\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2926164-pos1-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2\" data-nid=\"2926164\" data-cid=\"9915594\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2926164-label-pos1-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/91\/55\/94\/189x106_cmsv2_ca62bf61-2337-5067-814c-817adc3ff2fa-9915594.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"FILE. Federal Reserve Board Chairman Kevin Warsh speaks during a news conference in Washington, 29 July 2026\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Economy<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Fed hikes rates for the first time since 2023 in unanimous vote\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2926254-pos2-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2 the-media-object--has-video\" data-nid=\"2926254\" data-cid=\"9916076\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2926254-label-pos2-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/91\/60\/76\/189x106_cmsv2_1bf47c44-91f8-5b79-b4ba-ac84062f4f90-9916076.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Former Kosovo president Hashim Thaci, top left, appears before the Kosovo Tribunal \" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    No Comment<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Kosovo war crimes court jails ex-president Hashim Tha\u00e7i for 25 years, sparking mass protests\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2926277-pos3-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2 the-media-object--has-video\" data-nid=\"2926277\" data-cid=\"9916221\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2926277-label-pos3-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/91\/62\/21\/189x106_cmsv2_effa877b-1540-5e35-b70d-d20e80f8d473-9916221.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Local residents unveil a &quot;Principality of Piddington&quot; sign in the village of Piddington\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Europe News<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    English village votes to &#8216;secede&#8217; from UK over asylum centre plan\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2926286-pos4-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2 the-media-object--has-video\" data-nid=\"2926286\" data-cid=\"9916255\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2926286-label-pos4-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/91\/62\/55\/189x106_cmsv2_cd13b8c2-8d28-540b-a0a0-683ae014aa59-9916255.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Latest news bulletin | September 16th, 2026 \u2013 Evening\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Top News Stories Today<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Latest news bulletin | September 16th, 2026 \u2013 Evening\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"helper-site-row o-article-newsy\">\n<div class=\"helper-site-container o-article-newsy__container\">\n<div class=\"o-article-newsy__main\">\n<header class=\"h-grid o-article-newsy__main__header\">\n<nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumbs\" class=\"c-article-breadcrumbs\">\n<div id=\"adb-article-breadcrumb\" class=\"c-article-breadcrumbs__list\">\n<p>                          Business<\/p>\n<p>                          Business<\/p><\/div>\n<\/nav>\n<h1 class=\"c-article-redesign-title\">\n                            France: TotalEnergies cut-price fuel spikes controversy among rivals<\/h1>\n<div class=\"c-article-image-video u-position-relative \">\n<div class=\"js-superdiv u-aspect-ratio-16x9 u-position-relative \" data-controller=\"video-player\" data-sponsored=\"Partner content\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"js-poster-img c-article-media__img\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/91\/61\/92\/1536x864_cmsv2_a41c8fa7-69b4-55f2-8fa4-e4f87a12a6a1-9916192.jpg\" width=\"1536\" height=\"864\" loading=\"eager\" alt=\"Diesel prices have risen above \u20ac2 per litre in France with TotalEnergies gas stations maintaining low prices across the country.\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-caption u-position-absolute\"><i id=\"article-caption-content\" class=\"c-article-caption__content\"><span class=\"c-article-caption__text\"><br \/>\n              Diesel prices have risen above \u20ac2 per litre in France with TotalEnergies gas stations maintaining low prices across the country.<br \/>\n                    <span class=\"u-color-white\">&#8211;\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"c-article-caption__copyright\">Copyright\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"c-article-caption__credit\">AP Photo<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-image-copyright c-article-image-copyright--novideo\">\n      Copyright\u00a0AP Photo\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"h-grid o-article-newsy__main__body u-article-content\">\n<div class=\"o-article-newsy__contributors-publication-date\">\n<div class=\"c-article-contributors\">\n  By&amp;nbspGael Camba\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-publication-date\" data-timestamp=\"1789574454\">\n         Published on<br \/>\n            <time datetime=\"2026-09-16 18:00:54 +02:00\">16\/09\/2026 &#8211; 18:00 GMT+2<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-share-comment u-align-items-center u-display-flex\"><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__links u-align-items-center u-display-flex u-justify-content-center js-c-article-share-comment-share\"><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__label\">Share<\/span><\/span><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__label\">Comments<\/span><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__label c-article-share-comment__label--always\">Add Euronews on 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src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/social-icons\/article-redesign-threads.svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" alt=\"threads\" loading=\"lazy\"><span>Threads<\/span><\/span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/social-icons\/article-redesign-threads.svg\" width=\"48\" height=\"48\" alt=\"threads\" class=\"u-show-for-desktop\" loading=\"lazy\"><span class=\"u-display-flex u-gap-1 u-show-for-mobile-only\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/social-icons\/article-redesign-whatsapp.svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" alt=\"whatsapp\" loading=\"lazy\"><span>Whatsapp<\/span><\/span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/social-icons\/article-redesign-whatsapp.svg\" width=\"48\" height=\"48\" alt=\"whatsapp\" class=\"u-show-for-desktop\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"c-article-summary\">\n        TotalEnergies service stations are accused of distorting competition as they display France&#8217;s lowest-priced fuel. Supermarkets that usually sell fuel as a loss leader to pull in customers are furious, along with independent service stations.<br \/>\n    <\/h2>\n<div class=\"c-article-content c-article-content--business js-article-content\">\n<p>French motorists are clogging TotalEnergies service stations to fill up with discount gasoline, but its rivals are crying foul, accusing the energy giant of distorting competition with the encouragement of the government.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"c-ad u-show-for-mobile-only\">\n<div class=\"c-ad__placeholder\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-ad__placeholder__logo\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" alt loading=\"lazy\"><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-ad u-show-for-desktop\">\n<div class=\"c-ad__placeholder\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-ad__placeholder__logo\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" alt loading=\"lazy\"><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>TotalEnergies, which pumps crude oil and refines it into gasoline, also has an extensive network of filling stations throughout France, where retail sales are usually dominated by supermarkets selling gasoline at or near cost in order to pull in customers.<\/p>\n<p>But as oil prices shot higher this spring due to the US-Iran war, the highly profitable company announced a cap of \u20ac1.99 per litre of E10 (\u20ac2.25 per litre for diesel), considerably less than the national average of around \u20ac2.15 per litre \u2014 and up to nearly \u20ac2.50 in other areas, including Paris.<\/p>\n<p>The cap, which has been in place intermittently for the past five months, has already cost the company 250 million to 300 million euros.<\/p>\n<p>While it is a hefty expense, higher oil prices helped the French company double its first-half profit to 11.2 billion euros.<\/p>\n<p>TotalEnergies introduced the cap when political pressure was building to introduce a tax on windfall profits being made by energy companies.<\/p>\n<p>Prime Minister S\u00e9bastien Lecornu called on the company in May to put in place &#8220;a generous cap&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>Its chief executive, Patrick Pouyann\u00e9, has made clear it will abandon the cap if a special tax is put into place.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s nothing forcing us&#8221; to keep the cap in place, Pouyann\u00e9 said recently.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;If a tax is introduced, we&#8217;ll draw our conclusions and TotalEnergies won&#8217;t have any more price caps,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n<h2>Fear of widespread protest<\/h2>\n<p>With a presidential election seven months away and France&#8217;s economic situation worsening, the government is keeping close watch.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Today, the public authorities are quite happy a private company is doing the job, perhaps in their place,&#8221; said Jacques Goisque, head of the FF3C trade association that represents a thousand independent service stations.<\/p>\n<p>But there are limits to how much relief TotalEnergies can provide.<\/p>\n<p>The most recent jump in fuel prices has prompted calls to demonstrate, reminiscent of the so-called yellow vest movement in 2018.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-quotation\n    widget--size-fullwidth\n    widget--align-center\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"widget__content\">\n<blockquote class=\"widget__quote\"><p><span class=\"widget__quoteText\">The public authorities are quite happy that a private company is doing the job, perhaps in their place.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><cite class=\"widget__author\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"widget__authorText\">\n                        Jacques Goisque\n                    <\/div>\n<div class=\"widget__author_descriptionText\">\n                        Head of the FF3C trade association\n                    <\/div>\n<p><\/cite><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>At the time, a plan to increase fuel taxes sparked widespread protests from low- and middle-income workers who stood to take the biggest financial hit, snowballing into a challenge to the economic policies of President Emmanuel Macron.<\/p>\n<p>Macron called on the government on Wednesday to tackle the questions about fuel supplies and prices.<\/p>\n<p>Government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon noted that around one in ten filling stations in France lacked at least one fuel, with the vast majority of them being TotalEnergies stations.<\/p>\n<p>She said the government would seek to ensure sufficient supplies and gain some regulatory flexibility on refineries.<\/p>\n<p>The goal is &#8220;to push prices down as much as possible, or at the very least to keep their increase under control&#8221;, she said.<\/p>\n<h2>&#8216;Distortion of competition&#8217;<\/h2>\n<p>The FF3C group of independent petrol stations lodged a complaint in mid-July with France&#8217;s competition regulator for unfair competition.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There is an upstream player with a dominant position that takes advantage of it to set very aggressive prices that are below market levels,&#8221; said FF3C&#8217;s Goisque.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We can&#8217;t sell at a loss.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The supermarkets that usually sell gasoline as a loss leader to pull in customers are also furious.<\/p>\n<p>Michel-Edouard Leclerc, head of the leading supermarket chain E.Leclerc, said &#8220;refiners are lining their pockets&#8221; while it is impossible for retail distributors to compete.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We can&#8217;t go any lower than what our prices are today,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We don&#8217;t have a cent of margin in our filling stations.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6665\">\n<div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n<div class=\"widget__contents\">\n<figure class=\"widget__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/91\/61\/92\/808x539_cmsv2_abdb8bcc-eceb-5f03-b7cc-47a5487cfd69-9916192.jpg\" alt=\"TotalEnergies are maintaining low price fuels in France while other gas stations are seeing their prices rise above \u20ac2 per litre threshold.\"><figcaption class=\"widget__caption\"><span class=\"widget__captionWrap\"><span class=\"widget__captionText\">TotalEnergies are maintaining low price fuels in France while other gas stations are seeing their prices rise above \u20ac2 per litre threshold.<\/span><span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AP Photo<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>More than a dozen filling stations closed over the past weekend on the island of Corsica.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Despite the efforts of our supplier, our purchase price exceeds Total&#8217;s retail price by several dozen cents,&#8221; the stations said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>They denounced &#8220;the state failing to regulate prices&#8221;, which &#8220;allows an integrated group that benefits from considerable upstream margins to dictate, to blackmail, leading to this distortion of competition.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>While the price cap has financial costs for TotalEnergies, it pays well in terms of public image for a company that has frequently faced criticism for the low amount of taxes it pays in France in comparison with the profits it earns globally.<\/p>\n<p>The price cap has &#8220;above all earned the company a large amount of goodwill among the French,&#8221; Pouyann\u00e9, the chief executive, said recently.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>                                  Go to accessibility shortcuts<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-article-share-comment u-align-items-center u-display-flex\"><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__links u-align-items-center u-display-flex u-justify-content-center js-c-article-share-comment-share\"><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__label\">Share<\/span><\/span><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__label\">Comments<\/span><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__label c-article-share-comment__label--always\">Add Euronews on Google<\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"adb-article-you-might-also-like\" class=\"perf-cv-auto c-article-you-might-also-like\">\n<h2 class=\"c-article-you-might-also-like__title\">\n        Read more<br \/>\n      <\/h2>\n<div class=\"c-article-you-might-also-like__container\">\n<article id=\"abe-2926230-pos0-c-article-you-might-also-like__item\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-1 m-modeDesktop-1 m-modeXL-1\" data-nid=\"2926230\" data-cid=\"9916177\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2926230-label-pos0-c-article-you-might-also-like__item\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/91\/59\/18\/480x270_cmsv2_55ed87f5-2775-58fc-8b8d-665c638d79c2-9915918.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Exein executives (from left): Gianni Cuozzo, Chief Executive Officer; 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src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/91\/60\/47\/480x270_cmsv2_0db5cdff-acb7-538c-af57-b9ae0aa2ff1e-9916047.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"File - Langdock co-chief executives Lennard Schmidt and Judith Dada. Courtesy of Langdock.\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Business<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    German AI start-up spends millions to move parent company from the US<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2926152-pos2-c-article-you-might-also-like__item\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-1 m-modeDesktop-1 m-modeXL-1\" data-nid=\"2926152\" data-cid=\"9915699\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2926152-label-pos2-c-article-you-might-also-like__item\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/91\/55\/33\/480x270_cmsv2_6e537a84-9341-5798-aad8-fc7a62ce52c2-9915533.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"House prices have risen much faster than wages.\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Business<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Why higher salaries do not make homes affordable in Spain<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2926164-pos2-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2926164\" data-cid=\"9915594\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2926164-label-pos2-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/91\/55\/94\/320x180_cmsv2_ca62bf61-2337-5067-814c-817adc3ff2fa-9915594.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"FILE. Federal Reserve Board Chairman Kevin Warsh speaks during a news conference in Washington, 29 July 2026\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Fed hikes rates for the first time since 2023 in unanimous vote<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2926250-pos3-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2926250\" data-cid=\"9916047\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2926250-label-pos3-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/91\/60\/47\/320x180_cmsv2_0db5cdff-acb7-538c-af57-b9ae0aa2ff1e-9916047.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"File - Langdock co-chief executives Lennard Schmidt and Judith Dada. Courtesy of Langdock.\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    German AI start-up spends millions to move parent company from the US<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2926152-pos4-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2926152\" data-cid=\"9915699\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2926152-label-pos4-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/91\/55\/33\/320x180_cmsv2_6e537a84-9341-5798-aad8-fc7a62ce52c2-9915533.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"House prices have risen much faster than wages.\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Why higher salaries do not make homes affordable in Spain<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2926107-pos5-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2926107\" data-cid=\"9915290\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2926107-label-pos5-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/91\/52\/90\/320x180_cmsv2_ef47a6a0-99dc-5885-b343-3393fc0b85a0-9915290.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"US Senate Majority Leader John Thune speaks at a news conference after a policy luncheon on Capitol Hill in Washington, 15 Sept. 2026\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Bitcoin drops after US Senate blocks landmark crypto bill<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2925072-pos6-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2925072\" data-cid=\"9910768\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2925072-label-pos6-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/91\/07\/68\/320x180_cmsv2_e85a5391-310c-591c-8f1b-753d3bc4a2c8-9910768.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"People, most of them wearing protective face masks, gather during a healthcare workers&apos; protest in downtown Brussels, Saturday, May 29, 2021. \" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Public spending across Europe: Where does the money go?<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2925818-pos1-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 m-modeXL-3 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2925818\" data-cid=\"9913871\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Why is European money financing the American AI boom?<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2925731-pos2-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 m-modeXL-3 the-media-object--has-related the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2925731\" data-cid=\"9913487\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Why Greece now borrows more cheaply than France<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2925960-pos3-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 m-modeXL-3 the-media-object--has-related the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2925960\" data-cid=\"9914613\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    ECB staff raise stability concerns about Lagarde departure rumours<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2926107-pos4-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 m-modeXL-3 the-media-object--has-related the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2926107\" data-cid=\"9915290\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Bitcoin drops after US Senate blocks landmark crypto bill<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2926076-pos5-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 m-modeXL-3 the-media-object--has-related the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2926076\" data-cid=\"9915085\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    European markets recover ahead of expected Fed rate hike<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"articleBody\" data-key=\"articleBody\">French motorists are clogging TotalEnergies service stations to fill up with discount gasoline, but its rivals are crying foul, accusing the energy giant of distorting competition with the encouragement of the government.TotalEnergies, which pumps crude oil and refines it into gasoline, also has an extensive network of filling stations throughout France, where retail sales are usually dominated by supermarkets selling gasoline at or near cost in order to pull in customers.But as oil prices shot higher this spring due to the US-Iran war, the highly profitable company announced a cap of \u20ac1.99 per litre of E10 (\u20ac2.25 per litre for diesel), considerably less than the national average of around \u20ac2.15 per litre \u2014 and up to nearly \u20ac2.50 in other areas, including Paris.The cap, which has been in place intermittently for the past five months, has already cost the company 250 million to 300 million euros.While it is a hefty expense, higher oil prices helped the French company double its first-half profit to 11.2 billion euros.TotalEnergies introduced the cap when political pressure was building to introduce a tax on windfall profits being made by energy companies.Prime Minister S\u00e9bastien Lecornu called on the company in May to put in place &#8220;a generous cap&#8221;.Its chief executive, Patrick Pouyann\u00e9, has made clear it will abandon the cap if a special tax is put into place.&#8221;There&#8217;s nothing forcing us&#8221; to keep the cap in place, Pouyann\u00e9 said recently.&#8221;If a tax is introduced, we&#8217;ll draw our conclusions and TotalEnergies won&#8217;t have any more price caps,&#8221; he added.Fear of widespread protestWith a presidential election seven months away and France&#8217;s economic situation worsening, the government is keeping close watch.&#8221;Today, the public authorities are quite happy a private company is doing the job, perhaps in their place,&#8221; said Jacques Goisque, head of the FF3C trade association that represents a thousand independent service stations.But there are limits to how much relief TotalEnergies can provide.The most recent jump in fuel prices has prompted calls to demonstrate, reminiscent of the so-called yellow vest movement in 2018.At the time, a plan to increase fuel taxes sparked widespread protests from low- and middle-income workers who stood to take the biggest financial hit, snowballing into a challenge to the economic policies of President Emmanuel Macron.Macron called on the government on Wednesday to tackle the questions about fuel supplies and prices.Government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon noted that around one in ten filling stations in France lacked at least one fuel, with the vast majority of them being TotalEnergies stations.She said the government would seek to ensure sufficient supplies and gain some regulatory flexibility on refineries.The goal is &#8220;to push prices down as much as possible, or at the very least to keep their increase under control&#8221;, she said.&#8217;Distortion of competition&#8217;The FF3C group of independent petrol stations lodged a complaint in mid-July with France&#8217;s competition regulator for unfair competition.&#8221;There is an upstream player with a dominant position that takes advantage of it to set very aggressive prices that are below market levels,&#8221; said FF3C&#8217;s Goisque.&#8221;We can&#8217;t sell at a loss.&#8221;The supermarkets that usually sell gasoline as a loss leader to pull in customers are also furious.Michel-Edouard Leclerc, head of the leading supermarket chain E.Leclerc, said &#8220;refiners are lining their pockets&#8221; while it is impossible for retail distributors to compete.&#8221;We can&#8217;t go any lower than what our prices are today,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We don&#8217;t have a cent of margin in our filling stations.&#8221;More than a dozen filling stations closed over the past weekend on the island of Corsica.&#8221;Despite the efforts of our supplier, our purchase price exceeds Total&#8217;s retail price by several dozen cents,&#8221; the stations said in a statement.They denounced &#8220;the state failing to regulate prices&#8221;, which &#8220;allows an integrated group that benefits from\u00a0considerable upstream margins to dictate, to blackmail, leading to this distortion of competition.&#8221;While the price cap has financial costs for TotalEnergies, it pays well in terms of public image for a company that has frequently faced criticism for the low amount of taxes it pays in France in comparison with the profits it earns globally.The price cap has &#8220;above all earned the company a large amount of goodwill among the French,&#8221; Pouyann\u00e9, the chief executive, said recently.<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/business\/2026\/09\/16\/france-totalenergies-cut-price-fuel-spikes-controversy-among-rivals&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/91\/61\/92\/1200x675_cmsv2_a41c8fa7-69b4-55f2-8fa4-e4f87a12a6a1-9916192.jpg&#8221;] Economy Fed hikes rates for the first time since 2023 in unanimous vote No Comment Kosovo war crimes court jails ex-president Hashim Tha\u00e7i for 25 years, sparking mass protests Europe News English village votes to &#8216;secede&#8217; from UK over asylum centre plan Top News Stories Today Latest news bulletin | September 16th, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[90],"tags":[226,36],"class_list":["post-2147776","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-international","tag-crawlmanager","tag-euronews-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2147776","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2147776"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2147776\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2147776"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2147776"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2147776"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}