Indeed, the pension reform of Elisabeth Borne, French Prime Minister, is very unpopular in France. And, faced with this decision, France expects a large-scale strike this Thursday, January 19.
The CGT Petroleum has announced that the refineries will take part in the strike. The French therefore fear running out of gasoline, especially since the strike movement is renewable and the shortages might last.
This Tuesday, two days before the strike, dozens of stations lack at least one fuel in Nord-Pas-de-Calais, says La Voix du Nord. This only concerns 3.75% of stations and we are still far from the same situation as in October, but the situation might deteriorate.
Belgium might therefore be taken by storm by French motorists who will cross the border to fill up with gas. In addition, the price is currently more attractive in Belgium.