Despite all the indications that fuel aid would come to an end for the French fleet on 15th October, at a meeting with industry leaders this week Secretary of State for the Sea Hervé Berville.
The meeting took place between the Secretarty of State and a delegation from the National Fisheries Committee (CNPMEM), including its president, Olivier Le Nézet, who has been outspoken on the need to find solutions for the expected ending of fuel aid, and CNPMEM vice-presidents Serge Lazabal of Nouvelle Aquitaine, Bernard Perez from Occitania and Charly Vincent from Guadeloupe.
Hervé Berville has has made a commitment to make efforts at a European level so that aid programmes.
The State will mobilise business aid initiatives and raise banks’ awareness of the impacts of the current crises in order to establish what measures could be taken. Work is also in progress with TotalEnergies to develop a green maritime fuel.
In the longer term, the Secretary of State for the Sea and representatives of the National Committee for Fisheries agreed on the need for a Fleet Energy Transition Plan. This require public and private resources, while respecting state aid rules.
‘The Government is very strongly motivated to support the fishing industry through all the crises it is experiencing and it will continue to support and defend it,’ Hervé Berville commented.
‘The measures formulated during the Fisheries Conference will be reinforced and enhanced with new proposals, in particular those formulated by the National Fisheries Committee. French fishing deserves all our support.’
