Emmanuel Macron asks EU to ease fuel rules, warning of "strong increases in prices"

As conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East push European fuel costs to record highs, French President Emmanuel Macron asked European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to loosen EU fuel-quality rules so more diesel and kerosene can be produced, and to raise the allowed biodiesel blend in standard diesel. The Associated Press reported that in a letter, Macron warned oil markets could face a substantial price jump if the Strait of Hormuz did not reopen to tanker traffic and Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline to the Red Sea was not repaired. The request came as France expanded a 450 million-euro package of aid for workers, farmers, fishermen, construction firms and families, part of broader European efforts to blunt the economic effects of higher energy prices.