Great advance for great yachting in the South Region.
The last few days have been very dense with many working meetings with the Minister of the Sea and the Maritime Prefecture. The yachting sector generates 1 billion euros in spinoffs across the South Region, of which about half for the Var department alone.
Ecological anchorages in perspective and legal victory against Italy, a very positive return for Riviera Yachting Network and professional yachting in France.
A few hours away from the Monaco Yacht Show, the most important professional yachting show in the world, the start of September promises to be auspicious for regional yachting professionals united under the banner of Riviera Yachting Network.
For 20 years, Riviera Yachting Network has brought together companies specializing in the refit, repair and maintenance of yachts, their bunkering and dedicated services. The cluster currently has more than 110 members on the Mediterranean coast from Marseille to Menton. After 18 difficult months which penalized the sector – periods of confinement, navigation restrictions – the yachting companies are gradually regaining their pre-crisis volumes, and have just learned two encouraging news for the development of their activity.
Installation of ecological mooring boxes
During the last Cannes Yachting Festival which took place in early September, Laurent Falaize, president of Riviera Yachting Network participated in a working meeting with Minister of the Sea Annick Girardin, who invited Mediterranean yachting players
professional. On this occasion, the Minister presented her strategy in four axes in order to perpetuate the navigation of large yachts in the Mediterranean, and to prepare already for the next summer season. Among these four main axes, the Minister announced her desire
to develop the installation of mooring chests in preserved and emblematic sites, thus making it possible to preserve both the biodiversity and the environmental wealth of the mooring areas, and the development of large-scale activity
pleasure. In addition, it wishes to accelerate the promotion of the “Yachting France” destination among professionals and French and foreign customers.
“I welcome these giant leaps forward on ecological moorings in the Southern Region announced by Minister Annick Girardin. And I now want a future steering committee to be able to install these safes as quickly as possible ”, rejoiced Laurent Falaize
A legal victory over the taxation of yachting
In addition, Riviera Yachting Network has seen the end of a long legal battle that began 4 years ago. In September 2017, the cluster and two of its member companies had indeed filed a joint complaint with the European Commission against
Italy for non-compliance with its national regulations regarding the exemption from excise duties on the bunkering of yachts, creating a distortion of competition detrimental to French operators. In May 2018, following this complaint, the Commission
initiated infringement proceedings against the Italian State by sending it a formal notice, and at the same time Renaud Muselier, President of the Southern Region, wrote to Prime Minister Edouard Philippe before in turn seizing the European Commission at
through a question to Parliament. Without response from Italy to these formal notices, this legal battle experienced a new episode in November 2018, the Commission deciding to refer the matter to the European Court of Justice. And it is the latter which has just ruled, Thursday, September 16, pointing to the Italian authorities’ violation of European regulations and ordering them to pay the costs.
“It’s a great victory for Riviera Yachting Network, a victory which shows that when they are united and speak with one voice, yachting companies can defend their interests and win their case, even against a European state. . I also want to thank the commitment of the President of the South Region Renaud Muselier, who supported our action from day one and showed his interest in our sector and the thousands of jobs it represents across the territory. regional “, welcomed President Laurent Falaize on the announcement of the verdict.
“We are now going to work on ensuring that the next French presidency of the European Union, in the first half of 2022, can make it possible to push at European level a single contract for the commercial activity of yachts, on the model of the existing contract in France. , for fair taxation across the entire community ”, concludes Laurent Falaize.
In the immediate future, this good news bodes well for the prospect of a good yachting season in 2022, moreover for the refit activity, the indicators seem to be on the resumption of the Monaco Yacht Show next week should already give a trend .
Riviera Yachting Network and Bref
Riviera Yachting Network is a regional cluster that brings together more than 110 companies involved in the repair, maintenance and refit sector of yachts. For more than 20 years, Riviera Yachting Network has strived to structure the sector and support the development of its members in their future prospects. The yachting sector generates 1 billion euros in spinoffs across the South region, of which around half is for the Var department alone.
“Thanks to the skills and know-how of our companies and our sites, the diversity and complementarity of our equipment, the attractiveness of our coastline, the power of our tourism sector, the South Region – Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur – is one of the leading yachting regions in the world, and we can become the leading region ”, assures Laurent Falaize.
In the golden triangle of yacht navigation, between Saint-Tropez, Monaco and Corsica, more than 1,000 yachts come to the shipyards every year.
50% of the world fleet of yachts, i.e. more than 2,600 units over 30m, sail along or near the coasts of the region from May to September. There are 6,290 yachts over 24 meters in the world, 45% of which were built after 2006. And the market remains buoyant: today there are three times as many yachts as in 1990.
Each year, a yacht devotes 10% of its value to its operation (wages, insurance, fuel, upkeep, maintenance). A medium-sized boat (around 40 m) generates on average expenses of nearly 3 million euros per year, between maintenance (1.2 million), personnel (600,000 euros), bunkering (400 000 euros), insurance and port taxes (200,000 euros) … A yacht that sails, it is on average 280,000 euros of expenses per month for private navigation, and 220,000 euros in charter (rental).
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