In a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made public on Tuesday, September 22, Emmanuel Macron requested several relaxations of EU standards on fuel quality and environmental footprint. The aim is to strengthen short-term oil and gas import and production capacities. The initiative responds to soaring pump prices linked to the war in the Middle East.
Noting Europe’s strong dependence on Middle East imports, particularly for kerosene at 36 percent and diesel at 18 percent, the French president wants the Commission’s attention on several points. He first requests a relaxation of European specifications on fuel quality, including density and desulfurization. According to Macron, this would allow production gains of 5 to 20 percent. He recalled that such a relaxation was accepted during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The president also suggests relaxing limits on biofuel incorporation, particularly in diesel, to gain a few percentage points of non-fossil fuel per liter. This would free up additional supply margins. While insisting on accelerating European electrification efforts, he also requests a one-year postponement of the methane emissions regulation. Under this legislation adopted in 2024, importers of gas, oil, and coal must monitor and declare methane emissions from January 2027. The Commission already postponed fines for three years in July.
According to the Elysée, these emergency measures should not interfere with long-term actions such as electrification or supply diversification. In total, they could free up a few tens of thousands of barrels per day, far from France’s average consumption of about 1.5 million per day. On Monday, diesel prices remained around 2.41 euros per liter on average in France, while SP98 was at 2.28 euros and SP95 at 2.22 euros.
Reference
Le Monde, “Carburants: Emmanuel Macron demande un assouplissement des normes européennes sur la production et l’import,” published September 22, 2026. https://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2026/09/22/carburants-emmanuel-macron-demande-un-assouplissement-des-normes-europeennes-sur-la-production-et-l-import_6780080_3210.html