French president Emmanuel Macron asked European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on September 18, 2026, to temporarily relax EU fuel-quality rules and extend a methane-emissions reporting deadline by one year. France’s diesel price has reached €2.39 per liter, while 14% to 16% of filling stations reported shortages of at least one fuel type in mid-to-late September. Macron’s proposal would loosen fuel-density, volatility and desulfurization thresholds and allow diesel blending to rise from B7 to B10, potentially lifting domestic refinery output by 5% to 20%, according to French refiners. He also seeks to move methane-monitoring compliance requirements adopted in 2024 from January 1, 2027, to January 1, 2028. The measures are framed as temporary emergency steps rather than a permanent rollback of environmental policy. Europe obtains 36% of its kerosene and 18% of its diesel from the Middle East, where disruptions since early 2026 have reduced supply flexibility. The European Commission has not publicly responded. Prediction-market indicators in the existing record put the probability of crude reaching a new all-time high at 0.5% by September 30 and 10.5% by December 31; Middle East developments and comments from Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo and Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud remain among the factors to watch.