France's minister of Economy and Finance, Roland Lescure, said that six European Union countries requesting a taxation of oil companies at the continental level "are pointing fingers at Total." France does not want an European taxation on oil producers. Lescure explained why the government did not sign the letter from six European Union countries requesting such a tax, a measure that would particularly affect the French group TotalEnergies. "In short, they were pointing fingers at Total, they were pointing fingers at producers. I think that today, the issue is more about refining, it is an European issue," said Lescure, regarding the letter sent by Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy, Poland and Portugal at the end of August to the European Commission to request a tax on the excess profits of oil companies. If the objective "is to tax a French company at the European level so that the revenues go to Brussels, with a gas plant (...), I am not sure that this is the best solution," said the minister, who nevertheless considered it necessary to act "at the European level" on the issue of refining. The tax requested by Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy, Poland and Portugal would aim to compensate for the exceptional increase in the profits of oil companies, which have risen due to the war in the Middle East, as in 2022 after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Asked on BFMTV, the minister of Trade and Purchasing Power, Serge Papin, stated he did not want to "bother Total": "What I want is for Total to continue during this crisis period to cap its price at 2.25 euros for diesel and 1.99 euros for unleaded," explained the minister. On the other hand, Lescure stated that he has "no desire to bother Total, nor to please Total": "I am trying to manage a crisis that is difficult for the French by supporting as much as possible those who are driving, (...) to ensure that we have gasoline and oil. We have zero supply issue, and it is largely because we have a major" like Total, he concluded.