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The AFITF is a little-known state agency. Here, we told you about it on the occasion of the EcoTaxe. It was this agency that was to recover the benefit of the tax. This addition of around 2 billion euros to the AFITF budget should, basically, enable it to launch more programmes. Alas, in the implementation, the Royal Minister had stripped the AFITF of this manna since what entered thanks to the EcoTaxe left with a reduction in the state grant.
In short, the former Prime Minister, Jean Castex, is promoted to head the Agency. In his hands, we potentially have heaps of projects concerning river and port infrastructures, etc. So many possibilities to reduce polluting road transport to replace it with river transport, for example. The former president of the AFITF is none other than Christophe Béchu, newly appointed on Monday July 4 as Minister for Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion.
The river is still unloved in France
In his first words, we think we can detect the desire to relaunch piggyback transport. But, these are only words. Others – like Reporterre – are already worried about the Presidency of a person who has launched road projects worth 18 billion euros. Its position will undoubtedly be a delicate balance between the train and the road. Unfortunately, it’s a safe bet that the river will be the poor relation of the projects. It’s all the more unfortunate that France can be proud to have canals and waterways that could help lower the carbon bill of many goods.
Night train, piggyback, river lines? Or simply again and again on the road? Could he play a role in discussions with motorway concessionaires? For 2022, AFITF has a budget of 4.6 billion euros distributed as follows:
- rail €1.45 billion
- road €1.3 billion
- public transport €1.46 billion
- river €210,800,000
- seaports €93,550,000
- exceptional and littoral €47,400,000
As can be seen in this year’s budget, waterways remain AFITF’s poor relation. More than a third of the Agency’s budget comes from the TICPE (domestic tax on the consumption of energy products) that we pay for example by buying fuel or gas and fuel oil.
According to studies, the transport of goods via inland waterways emits 2 to 4 times less CO2eq (CO2 equivalent) than road transport. The oldest barges are “only” twice as energy efficient as trucks. Newer houseboats up to 4 times less. Rail is the champion of energy saving. But, the road transport, by its flexibility and its speed keeps the dimension at the carriers. The French river public domain includes approximately 18,000 km of waterways, of which 8,500 km are navigable. The latter break down into rivers, streams and canals.
About the AFITF
AFIT France is a national public institution whose mission is to participate in the financing of major transport and mobility infrastructure projects, in compliance with the objectives of sustainable development and according to the orientations of the Government.
to summarize
With his appointment as head of the French Transport Infrastructure Financing Agency, Jean Castex has the future of transport in France in his hands. River? Piggyback? Or do we continue the whole thing by road? We hope to know more soon.
