Emergency measures in the event of a disruption in the supply of petroleum products

Under Article 40 of the Law, urgent regulatory measures may be taken in the event of a major disruption to supply, an effective international decision to release security stocks or a local crisis.

Depending on the type and scale of the crisis in the supply of petroleum products, these measures will aim either to influence the supply of petroleum products on the market (release of security stocks) or to restrict demand for petroleum products (restrictions on consumption, priority allocation of petroleum products to certain categories of consumers…).

In principle, the release of security stocks is the first response to disruptions in the supply of petroleum products. It is a measure aimed at influencing the supply of petroleum products on the markets, which is implemented either following an effective international decision to release security stocks or in the event of a disruption to the country’s supply. Where appropriate, the release may be accompanied by individual volume restriction measures (e.g. maximum volume at motorway service stations, etc.) affecting only the oil importer whose stockholding obligation has been reduced.

The implementation of measures to restrict demand, taken pursuant to Article 40 of the Law, requires coordination at national level in view of the repercussions of those measures on the functioning of the State and society in general, on the one hand, and on citizens and the economy in particular, on the other.

The Plan sets out a non-exhaustive and non-prioritised list of measures to restrict demand and accompanying measures that could be decided by the crisis cell.