At the end of September, the CDC ‘Collectivité de Corse’ has been ordered by the Council of State to pay EUR 86.3 million to Corsica Ferries, in compensation for the damage linked to the illegal subsidies of its former competitor SNCM, between 2007 and 2013.
CDC refused to pay and wanted the French State to take its responsibilities.
This now happened: the French Government decided on Friday 10 December 2021 to support the CDC with EUR 50 million.
The sum of now almost 90 million (with the interests) represents one third of the annual budget of the island.
The financial injection from the State will be given through the PTIC (‘Plan de transformation et d’investissement pour la Corse’), an investment programme of 500 million over 5 years.
It means the State doesn’t pay 50 million for the fine. It pays this amount to help Corsica to invest. If Corsica would have to pay the fine, it would have less money to invest. (…)
This system has two advantages:
- No mention is made of the dispute with Corsica Ferries.
- Politically the State agrees its past involvement in the case, but this ‘confession’ does not have a legal value.
(Source: FR3, in French)
