It is that the subsidies cover more spending

The Corsican Assembly will discuss tomorrow the island maritime service conditions while the public service delegation ends only in 2013. It is that the subsidies cover more spending. "The 187 million euros in the staffing of territorial continuity, whose 120 million for the maritime, are consumed before even to begin the exercise", said Paul-Marie Smith, President of the Office of the transport of the Corse (OTC), arm of the region for the implementation of territorial continuity.

First subject, social aid to passengers recently questioned by the Regional Chamber of accounts ("Les Echos" from November 19) could be revised, or deleted. Which in this case would mean the end of the supremacy of Corsica Ferries, main beneficiary of this aid on the liaison with the Mainland. Since Paul-Marie Bartoli has been hypothesized to removal of the device, the Director-General of the company, Pierre Mattei, not furious not: "Above all this question to drown the real debate on the premium to the mismanagement of the public service delegation, acknowledge it." This deletion will not only strengthen the monopoly of the delegate, la SNCM, the consumer and the taxpayer.

A device attacked

The company made the account: maritime territorial continuity cost to the community 121,27 euros per passenger transported from 19 cents for the social welfare system established at the request of the SNCM in 2001 to reduce the price of the ticket of certain categories of travellers, in exchange for a public service minimum (especially in terms of regularity and rates) for all companies to the departure of Nice and Toulon. This scheme is doubly capped (65 per company and EUR 16 million), benefiting consumers and not to the companies, and refers to the region transport and port fees tax EUR 16.4 million. "It is a financially neutral system that allowed to create 1.5 million additional passenger traffic," an expert analysis.

But since that it has proven its effectiveness, this device is regularly attacked by the delegate and its unions accuse him "to enable companies which practice dumping social and tax, continue our market share erosion", according to the Secretary General of the CGT, Frédéric Alpozzo. Arrival in 2001 in Toulon, Corsica Ferries to defends and highlights the effectiveness of its model low cost borrowed from the air. With 2.5 million passengers carried, it is assigned 63 of the market between Corsica and the continent shares by absorbing only 14 of public aid.

In comparison, la SNCM holds, Corsican, 27 of market share to the departure of Marseille and Nice, but 63 of the aid granted by the community. Company South of Navigation, it covers 6 of the market with 23 of public aid, but, unlike the SNCM, which sees erode its traffic each year, it increased his 200 in ten years.

"Rather than remove social assistance, would better be to extend it to Marseille where the SNCM operates and put in question the perimeter of the DSP by removing service point which is no need for general interest and seal his activity", proposes Pierre Mattei. During school descongés, la SNCM ships indeed turning on average one-quarter of their filling.

But a reduction in the wing de l'aide à la SNCM already heckled by problems of profitability (down to traffic from 8 in 2010), is possible without risking a new social plan which could be two or three hundred families Corsicans, wonder elected Corsican representatives. In this agonizing considered choice, probably to give time before making a decision any. Only nationalist politicians who refuse to leave the field open to a monopoly of Veolia", owner of the SNCM, are demanding the creation of a regional shipping as has been done more than twenty years ago, for air transport.