Fishermen block ports in southern France over fuel prices — France 24
In France, fishermen blocked access to the port of Nice and ports in several smaller cities on the Mediterranean coast, protesting high energy prices. As France 24 reports, the actions in the south of the country continued for a third day.
Protests over fuel costs
The blockades became part of a wave of protests that swept France this week. On Tuesday, energy sector workers and police went on strike; the reasons for the actions included pay and fuel costs.
Nice Mayor Eric Ciotti, who leads a party allied with the far-right National Rally, visited the port and expressed support for the fishermen. He said he understood their anger.
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Budget negotiations
On September 16, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu extended emergency fuel subsidies for agriculture, fishing and the construction industry until the end of the year. President Emmanuel Macron called a meeting of party leaders for Friday to discuss the situation in the Middle East and Ukraine, as well as the consequences for energy markets.
The energy crisis is complicating preparations for France's 2027 budget, which the government must submit to parliament at the end of the month. Amid a bond sell-off, French borrowing costs rose to their highest level since 2008. Finance Minister Roland Lescure acknowledged that the consequences of the Middle East crisis would mean the government would miss its deficit target this year.
The Socialists refused to support the budget, as they did during the adoption of the 2026 budget. National Rally leader Marine Le Pen said her party would vote against the document if it provided for abandoning the indexation of pensions to inflation.
