France announces massive emergency aid programme

France's government announced on Wednesday a massive emergency aid programme for farmers, fishermen, truckers and other professionals battered by fuel price surges.

Prime Minister Jean Castex unveiled a raft of economic assistance measures at a news conference that includes 0.35 euros a litre for fuel for fishermen's boats, and 0.15 euros a litre for truckers.Some fishing boats no longer go to sea because the daily catch cannot pay for fuel. The French prime minister laid out a multi-million dollar "resilience plan" to bolster companies in a time of special need. Castex stressed that the aid plan is a first step in what is an evolving situation as Europe adds layers of sanctions on Russia, notably impacting European Union companies and citizens.