French fishermen renewed protests over rising fuel costs on Thursday despite the government increasing subsidies for the sector and extending support for farmers and construction companies. Diesel prices are nearing a record high, fuelling wider concern over the cost of living and calls for protests reminiscent of the Yellow Vest movement, seven months before the presidential election.
Fishermen returned to the Frontignan oil depot near Sète early on Thursday, while another protest was held at the port of Nice, ahead of a meeting with the fisheries minister in Paris.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu asked ministers on Wednesday to extend targeted aid for sectors hit by rising fuel prices until 31 December.
"The goal is to safeguard economic activity, jobs, and growth by providing businesses with visibility through the end of the year," his office said.
Rising fuel prices
Government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon said around one in 10 filling stations in France lacked at least one type of fuel, with the vast majority of them TotalEnergies stations.
The government would seek to ensure sufficient supplies and gain some regulatory flexibility on refineries, she said.
The goal is "to push prices down as much as possible, or at the very least to keep their increase under control", Bregeon said.
On Thursday morning, the average price of diesel – the most used fuel in France – surpassed €2.37 per litre, nearing its record high of just over €2.38, government data showed.
France imports virtually all the oil it consumes and, like the rest of Europe, has been affected by disruption to global markets caused by the war in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
The government has ruled out the risk of a widespread shortage at this stage, but prices at the pump have risen sharply.
Fishermen under pressure
Commercial fishermen, who have staged several protests and blockades of oil depots and ports in recent days, will see their subsidy rise from 25 to 35 cents per litre, Lecornu's office said.
For eligible construction and public works companies, support will be extended at a rate of 20 cents per litre of non-road diesel. The 15-cent-per-litre subsidy for farmers will also be extended.
The fuel subsidy for farmers will come "in addition to other aid provided under the agricultural emergency plan", the government said.
Some fishermen were not convinced by Lecornu's announcement.
"It's not a gift from the government; that 10-cent increase is just smoke and mirrors because fuel prices have gone up," fishing boat captain Ange Natoli, who was demonstrating in Martigues in southern France, told French news agency AFP.
"We aren't letting up the pressure. And depending on what is said, we will decide on the next steps for the movement," Natoli said, referring to Thursday's meeting in Paris with the fisheries minister.
Social-democratic presidential candidate Raphaël Glucksmann criticised the government for its "lack of preparedness" over the cost-of-living crisis, which he said "threatens France with implosion", and called for an immediate increase in targeted fuel subsidies.
He said it was necessary to "take urgent action, more rapidly and on a larger scale than the government is doing."
Workers feeling the pinch
Other workers who rely heavily on their cars are also feeling the impact.
Christophe, a private-practice nurse in Marseille, drives more than 120 kilometres every day to treat patients.
"I have to fill up every five days. It hits 60 euros, whereas before, 40 euros was easily enough for a full tank," he told RFI.
"Some treatments pay poorly and are too far away. I have to turn down about one or two patients a week because they are too far."
He is considering switching to an electric car to save money.
The jump in fuel prices has also prompted calls for demonstrations reminiscent of France's Yellow Vest movement in 2018 and 2019.
At the time, a plan to increase fuel taxes triggered widespread protests among low and middle-income workers who faced the biggest financial impact. The protests developed into a broader challenge to President Emmanuel Macron's economic policies.
Thousands of people demonstrated across France on successive Saturdays. The movement was marked by clashes with police and gradually faded with the Covid-19 lockdowns.
Protest calls
Calls have been circulating on social media in recent days for protests on 17 October, while trade unions have called for a large public-sector mobilisation on 29 September.
An Elabe poll published on Wednesday found that seven out of 10 French people expected their purchasing power to decline.
The CGT union called on Lecornu on Wednesday to urgently convene talks "on purchasing power and the high cost of living" and demanded a price freeze.
The TotalEnergies branch of the CGT has called for a strike across "all sites" on 8 October over the cost of living and jobs.
The protests and calls for action come seven months before France's presidential election.
Macron used social media on Wednesday to draw attention to his diplomatic efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
"I know what this means for the French people," he wrote on X. "What happens thousands of kilometers away inevitably impacts our daily lives. So, I am taking action to reduce tensions, secure our supplies, and ease the pressure on prices."
(with newswires)
