In France, several fuel distributors have announced a reduction in diesel prices following the release of state strategic reserves. According to reports from the broadcaster Euronews, pump prices will continue to follow international market trends, but the release of these volumes will serve to limit price hikes. On Saturday, October 31, diesel was sold in the country at an average of approximately 2.37 euros per liter.

Some chains have already applied the reductions across their retail networks. At TotalEnergies' Access stations, the price had already dropped to 2.15 euros per liter, ten cents less than at other stations belonging to the same group. The company specified that it introduced the discount ahead of the physical delivery of the stockpiles, thus allowing customers to access supplies at their historical cost.

Supermarket and retail chains have also moved in the same direction. The E. Leclerc chain introduced a 21-cent-per-liter discount on diesel sold at its roughly 742 retail outlets across French territory. The discount will be applied daily, while still allowing the final price to fluctuate with the markets. An identical reduction was also confirmed by the Coopérative U group.

The measure follows the government announcement in mid-October concerning the release of ten million barrels of diesel from strategic reserves. These volumes had been purchased prior to the conflict in the Middle East at a cost of 0.28 euros per liter, compared to an average of around 1.1 euros per liter recorded in mid-October.