France: Castex announces a vast port investment plan on the Seine
French Prime Minister Jean Castex with his predecessor Édouard Philippe during a visit of the Jacques Saadé container ship in the port of Le Havre, January 22, 2021. AFP - SAMEER AL-DOUMY
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4 min
At the end of the interministerial committee for the sea, this Friday, January 22 in Le Havre, Prime Minister Jean Castex, announced a six-year investment plan, until 2027, for the ports of Le Havre, Rouen and Paris .
In total, nearly 1.5 billion euros, twice as much as the previous plan which covered the years 2014 to 2019.
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The head of government unveiled this Friday, January 22 from Le Havre the details of the national port strategy.
A project originally led by the former Prime Minister and mayor of the city, Édouard Philippe, who wanted to rely on the Seine valley corridor to revitalize the major sea and river ports of Le Havre, Rouen and from Paris.
At the end of 2018, the former Prime Minister announced the next creation of a single public establishment bringing together the ports of Le Havre, Rouen and Paris.
An initiative supported by the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo.
In September 2020, at the
Grand Paris summit
, the mayors of Paris and Le Havre reiterated their wish to move forward on the project of a Greater Paris, going as far as the port city.
"
This idea of Greater Paris, to the sea and to Le Havre, obviously passing through Rouen, is an idea to which I subscribe
", had launched the socialist mayor of the capital.
It's done.
These large ports, which will merge, as announced at the time, on June 1 in the Haropa economic interest group, will benefit from € 1.48 billion of public investment.
The State wants to boost the attractiveness of ports and create activity and jobs.
The amount is doubled compared to its investments from the previous plan.
For Jean Castex, it is a question of creating "
a major river and maritime axis
" and of making this merger "
one of the main seaports of France with Marseille and Dunkirk
".
Facing Brexit
Scheduled to be operational in 2030, the project has finally gained ground.
France is thus starting to reflect on the fiscal attractiveness of its ports, hoping to counter "
the free ports offensive that our British friends intend to develop following Brexit
", noted the Prime Minister.
Decisions should be taken in this direction at the next meeting of this Interministerial Committee for the Sea.
►
To read also: Brexit, a good deal for the French economy?
No country can have a maritime ambition without a port ambition.
In June, the ports of Le Havre, Rouen and Paris will merge to form #HAROPA.
→ With € 1.45 billion mobilized until 2027, the State will at the same time double its investments on these 3 sites.
pic.twitter.com/HLrYfQxCbN
- Jean Castex (@JeanCASTEX) January 22, 2021
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France
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