French socialist leader accuses TotalEnergies of profiting from fuel crisis

The Secretary-General of France’s Socialist Party, Olivier Faure, has described the energy company TotalEnergies as a “beneficiary of the crisis,” in comments made during an interview with BFMTV.

He was responding to remarks by the company’s CEO, Patrick Pouyanné, who had previously suggested that the practice of capping fuel prices could be abandoned if an additional tax on refining capacities were introduced.

Faure stated that TotalEnergies, like other major market players, is benefiting from the current crisis situation. However, he stressed that he does not consider the company responsible for the crisis and is not calling for its exclusion from the French economy.

The politician also clarified that he is not accusing the company of tax evasion, but criticised its position amid the energy crisis and rising prices.

He further linked the situation to the broader international context, pointing to growing global tensions and the policies of US President Donald Trump. At the same time, he did not place direct responsibility for the crisis on the company.

By Jeyhun Aghazada