The two-month extension of aid measures to combat soaring fuel prices has left a bitter taste in the road transport sector. While the government has chosen to maintain financial support in September and October for agriculture, fishing, and construction, it has abruptly shut the door on transport companies. These companies will see their subsidies end permanently at the end of August, a decision made without prior consultation and which has caught all logistics stakeholders off guard.
Beyond this abrupt exclusion, the reality on the ground reveals a glaring disconnect between ministerial pronouncements and the actual state of public finances. While the government promises that amounts owed for past periods will be honored, in practice, procedures are bogged down in bureaucracy. The initial payment windows opened in the spring to compensate for losses incurred at the beginning of the year have accumulated weeks of administrative delays. Numerous applications submitted by very small and small businesses remain stuck in processing, without any payments having been made.
For subsequent funding rounds, the situation is even more critical. Applications submitted mid-year have not yet resulted in any tangible payments. As for the promises made at the highest levels of government to cover the summer period, they remain mere statements of intent. The lack of an official implementing decree has led industry representatives to fear a hidden tightening of allocation criteria, or even a reduction in the promised funding.
This deadlock is weakening the entire supply chain while pressure on margins remains at its highest. While the fuel price indexing mechanism theoretically allows some of the increases to be passed on to customers, its implementation remains a real obstacle for small businesses dealing with their clients. Without sustained government support and with previous aid arriving only in dribs and drabs, the financial health of hundreds of companies in the sector is severely compromised for the autumn.