The French Senate has approved a new €15 ($16.50) per passenger tax on cruise ships calling at French ports. According to Euronews, the measure is part of the country’s 2026 budget deliberations. It follows a “polluter pays” model that seeks to shift both pollution and prevention costs onto the polluters rather than onto affected communities. The tax would apply to each French port visited on a cruise itinerary, potentially generating an estimated €75 million ($82.5 million) annually that could be directed toward protecting France’s vulnerable coastal areas and funding environmental initiatives.
This decision comes amid growing concerns about cruise ship emissions, with Senator Jean-Marc Delia citing the seven million tonnes of CO2 emitted by cruise ships in Europe every year as a primary motivation for tabling the proposal, per a report from The Local France. The newly approved tax would require cruise ship travelers to pay €15 per French port call, meaning passengers could be charged multiple times during a single cruise if their ship docks at several French ports.
What The Government Is Planning Next
While the French Senate has approved the tax, France’s current centrist government has raised objections to the levy. According to Euronews, the government has expressed concerns about the practical challenges of differentiating between ferries and cruise ships.
Amélie de Montchalin, France’s Minister for Public Accounts, has argued that the text does not clearly distinguish cruise ships from ferries, which could lead to unintended consequences for services to Corsica and routes to and from the UK, as reported by Ferry Shipping News.
The final decision now rests with the Assemblée nationale, which must consider the motion before it can be enacted into law. An announcement regarding the final decision is expected later in December, with the Finance Bill still needing to pass through the rest of the parliamentary process until at least mid-December.
France Joins A Broader European Push To Regulate Cruise Tourism
France is not alone in implementing measures to address the environmental impact of cruise tourism. The move follows similar decisions by other European countries in recent months. Greece has implemented a climate crisis resilience fee for cruise ships, with higher levies of €20 ($22) for popular destinations like Mykonos and Santorini and lower levies of €5 ($5.50) for other locations.
Norway now permits municipalities to add a three percent tourism tax on cruise ship arrivals to support local communities and cover the costs of overtourism. Cities such as Amsterdam and Lisbon are also using higher cruise and tourist taxes to balance the impact of visitors and fund city improvements.
