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EU demands answers over French fuel protests
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| Riot police protect the Channel Tunnel from protesting farmers | |
In this story: |
CALAIS, France -- The European Union has given France 24 hours to explain what it is doing to prevent protests over fuel prices which have brought the country to a virtual standstill.
Farmers, ambulance drivers, truckers, taxi drivers and tour operators mounted protests across the country on Thursday amid demands for lower taxes on fuel and after rejecting a government offer to end the dispute.
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Armed anti-riot police prevented a threat by farmers to block the entrance to the Channel Tunnel on the fourth day of the nationwide demonstration.
Hundreds of petrol stations, starved of supplies, began to run dry while those with fuel were taken over by local authorities who gave priority to emergency service vehicles, such as those of doctors, the police and fire service.
As Prime Minister Lionel Jospin ruled out any further negotiation with the protesters, the European Union asked France whether the crippling protest was obstructing the free movement of goods within the 15-nation bloc.
EU spokesman Jonathan Todd said: "The European Commission has sent a formal request to the French authorities ... concerning a possible obstacle to the free movement of goods.
"The Commission has asked for precise information concerning the nature and extent of current action which is affecting frontiers and main routes within France which could hinder the free movement of goods."
Todd said the Commission had requested a reply within 24 hours along with details of what measures -- such as diversions and alternative routes -- France has taken to make ensure the roadblocks and blockades do not "totally block access to and from France."
Protesters clash with police at Tunnel
As he spoke, French anti-riot police moved to prevent a threat by farmers to block the entrance to the Channel Tunnel, at Coquelles, near Calais, with their tractors.
Although the farmers were met by a line of police in riot gear blocking their path -- with some scuffles breaking out -- the tunnel was effectively blocked after huge traffic queues formed on the access routes to Calais.
The farmers' action at the tunnel came after their union, the FDSEA, issued a statement late on Wednesday saying a barricade would "mount pressure on the government."
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| Petrol pumps are running dry as fuel protest escalates | |
Elsewhere, other farmers blocked train lines near Strasbourg and Bordeaux while taxi drivers brought major cities such as Marseilles, Paris and Montpellier, to a standstill.
At Charles de Gaulle airport, near Paris, some Air France staff blocked access to terminals, while at Lyon airport many flights were cancelled or re-routed and the airport in Nice was blocked to all traffic by lorries.
As the airport in Rennes ran out of aviation fuel, in Alsace, near Germany, police guarded 27 petrol stations reserved for emergency services to keep away motorists.
'There will be no more negotiations'
It was estimated that about 80 percent of all petrol stations in France were either dry or under tight rationing, not least in Strasbourg where the authorities said there was no petrol at all for private motorists, and in Brittany where it was feared what was left of fuel supplies would run out by the weekend.
Jospin accused the protesters of inflicting a "major handicap on the French economy," adding: "The government will not go any farther. There will be no more negotiations."
He was speaking after unions representing hauliers -- including the National Federation of Road Transporters (FNTR) -- rejected outright his government's offer of a 15 percent cut in tax on diesel fuel for heavy lorries, equal to one billion francs ($138 million dollars) over two years.
The FNTR, which represents 15,000 hauliers, described the deal -- a 35 centime per litre cut in fuel tax this year, reduced to 25 centimes next year -- as "insufficient."
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| Farmers mount a blockade at one of France's oil depots | |
Gerard Cardon, a FNTR member manning a blockade in Dunkirk, said Jospin's attitude would only worsen the situation.
He said: "That can only heighten the tension on the ground. The government urges us to be responsible, but it's responsible for this situation."
Socialist Party leader Francois Hollande told Europe 1 radio the government might have to use force if the protesters refused to lift their barricades.
"Using force would be the last resort," he said. "If there is a serious risk of paralysing the economy or a risk for public health or daily life in France, I think we should take action."
France has the second highest fuel prices in the European Union after Britain, where petrol prices are expected to rise on Thursday by 2p a litre as a result of the rising price of crude oil.
Oil prices are currently the highest they have been for 10 years. Prices have risen by 25% in the past 18 months.
Opec, the organisation of petroleum exporting countries, is due to meet on Sunday to discuss the situation.
From: http://archives.cnn.com/2000/WORLD/europe/09/07/france.fuel.03/
