The European Commission has approved a €25 million French state aid scheme to support fishing companies facing higher fuel prices linked to the Middle East crisis.
The support is for businesses involved in the primary production of fishery products — essentially firms catching fish and other seafood rather than processing it, the Commission informed on Tuesday.
Aid will be paid as direct grants and calculated using the volume of fuel bought between 1 June 2026 and 31 October 2026, alongside the monthly price difference compared with a pre-crisis benchmark from February 2026.
The grant rate will be €0.25 per litre and is set to cover 70% of additional fuel costs. The scheme will run until 31 March 2027.
Approval under EU state aid rules
The Commission assessed the French measure under EU state aid rules, including Article 107(3)(c) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which allows member states to support certain economic activities under specific conditions.
It also reviewed the scheme under the Middle East Crisis Temporary State Aid Framework, a set of EU guidelines adopted on 29 April 2026 for aid linked to the Middle East crisis.
A non-confidential version of the decision will be published under case number SA.124553 in the Commission’s state aid register once confidentiality issues have been resolved.
