Belgium's federal government has decided against releasing any of its strategic oil reserves to ease pump prices, breaking with several other European countries that have already dipped into their own stocks as crude trades at or above 100 dollars a barrel.
Citing reporting from De Tijd, officials argue that emergency stocks exist as insurance against a genuine disruption to supply, not as a lever to manage prices at the pump. Energy Minister Mathieu Bihet has previously said Belgium's fuel and gas supply is secure for the coming winter, pointing to reserves of refined products covering more than 90 days of national consumption, a buffer officials say should stay intact for a real shortage rather than be drawn down simply because prices are high.
Relief is coming from elsewhere
Belgian motorists have still seen some relief in recent days. Diesel prices dropped back below 2.40 euros a litre on 7 October, their lowest level in close to a month, helped along by a coordinated response well beyond Belgium's borders. G7 countries have agreed to release as much as 100 million barrels of diesel and crude over four months under the International Energy Agency's coordination, part of an effort to calm a market strained by the war in the Middle East and the supply disruptions it has caused, with roughly 325 million barrels already released globally since March.