The fever has still not subsided on the oil markets. After reaching 71,62 dollars during electronic exchanges in London on Monday, April 17, a barrel of Brent from the North Sea broke this record on Tuesday morning to reach 72 dollars during the first exchanges. In New York, prices also remained very high: the light sweet crude rose to 70,88 dollars on Tuesday - higher than on August 30, 2005, when the devastating passage of Hurricane Katrina over the Gulf of Mexico had propelled the barrel to 70,85 dollars in session.
This movement has led to an increase in prices at the pump which worries the French government. The Minister of the Economy ruled out, on Tuesday, on France Inter, any reduction in the internal tax on petroleum products (TIPP), believing that "it is useless". Thierry Breton however reaffirmed that in the event of "erratic movements in prices at the pump", he did not rule out "bringing together the oil operators again at Bercy to ensure that the repercussion is made in a smooth manner", as Total had committed in September 2005.