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QuoteThe professional organisations each welcome the appointment of the new Minister of Transport in their own way
Posted by Élodie, on 23/05/2012
The professional transport organisations have reacted to the appointment of Frédéric Cuvillier as Minister for Transport and the Maritime Economy. The defenders of the sea are delighted, while those of the road sector are claiming...
Among the professional transport organisations that have reacted to the appointment of the new Minister for Transport and the Maritime Economy, the prize for enthusiasm goes to Armateurs de France, which sends its "sincere congratulations" to Frédéric Cuvillier. It must be said that the deputy mayor of Boulogne-sur-Mer has a particularly "maritime" profile.
Recognition for the maritime sector
"This appointment is good news on two counts. Our Minister of Transport is a maritime specialist: a sign of recognition for our sector. And the title 'Maritime Economy' suggests that our sector will finally be talked about as an essential vector of the economy," comments Raymond Vidil, President of Armateurs de France.
The French Maritime Cluster also expresses its satisfaction, albeit in a more measured way. First of all, in Frédéric Cuvillier, it unambiguously welcomes "a personality known for his interest in the maritime sector and who has proven on several occasions his openness and willingness to listen".
The Cluster also welcomes the existence of a large Ministry of Sustainable Development, "responsible for very important missions for both the sea and the maritime economy". However, it is still waiting for the attribution decrees to evaluate its real scope.
Finally, the Cluster is delighted that the maritime economy "appears for the first time, in a way that it wants to believe is not subsidiary, in the title of a very important delegated ministry" and that "transport is associated with it, in the hope that this will advance the ardent obligation that intermodality constitutes".
No state of grace in road transport
In a press release published after the composition of the government, the FNTR began by noting that "ecology maintains its tutelary wing over transport, but this time within a broader framework that takes into account the triple dimension of sustainable development (environment, social and economy)".
The Fédération Nationale des Transporteurs Routiers points out that the new Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy, Nicole Bricq, is known "for both her environmental and economic positions". A point that is likely to reassure the profession.
On the other hand, the "maritime" profile of Frédéric Cuvillier is pinned down... between the lines. "The Minister Delegate has seen his favourite field, the sea and ports, extended", notes the National Federation of Road Transporters, immediately recalling that road transport is a key sector of the French economy with its 50 billion euro turnover and some 400,000 employees.
In other words, the FNTR expects the new holder of the transport portfolio to quickly get to grips with the basic issues and emergencies of road transport. "The two ministers are taking up their posts at a time when the road haulage sector is in overdrive: the lack of competitiveness of companies and European harmonisation, the time bomb of the heavy goods vehicle tax, the liquidation of Sernam and its dramatic consequences on subcontracting companies.
"A social lift, especially for young people"
The ecotax issue is also highlighted by TLF, which sees in the decree on the modalities of repercussion, published on 6 May 2012, the day of the second round of the presidential election, "a new and very damaging episode of the regulatory inflation suffered for many years".
The Federation of Transport and Logistics Companies of France nevertheless welcomes the appointment of the new minister and hopes that a dialogue will be established "which will allow the study of the conditions for safeguarding the financial equilibrium of companies".
"It is time for the transport and logistics sector, which was largely absent from the election campaign but which is a real social lift, especially for young people, to regain healthy conditions of competitiveness and attractiveness," TLF insists.
