Towards a European “Airbus” of fertilizers? The Institut Montaigne published a note on 6 October on note dedicated to agriculture ahead of the 2027 presidential election. The liberal think tank notably presents its idea of creating a “European giant” in fertilizers, modeled on the Airbus group. The note proposes a 11% stake of the state in a dedicated company fertilizer production, and suggests developing a “French Plan for Green Ammonia”. These measures would amount to 2 to 2,65 billion euros over five years, according to the Institut Montaigne, out of 5,5 to 11,5 billion in total for all its proposals dedicated to agriculture.
The institute also proposes creating fertilizer stocks for 90 days, at 1,2 billion per year. The aim is to reduce dependence “on nitrogen, but also on phosphate or potassium,” the think tank argues, noting that France “produces only 30% of the fertilizers it consumes.”
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A “single fertilizer market” to be developed alongside the company
At the European level, the Institut Montaigne explains that creating a “European giant” in fertilizers would require the acquisition and merger of factories in Europe. All areas of activity should be mobilized: recycling of the nutrients, recovery and recovery of phosphorus and nitrogen, pathways for biomethane and biogas, recovery of digestates and algae, development of microbial solutions. In parallel, a single fertilizer market should be developed through this “multinational,” the think tank suggests, with a “common standardization at the continental level.” However, the creation of such a company would have to be approved by the European Commission, notes the Institut Montaigne, which sees this as a “point of tension” because of Brussels’ “antitrust policy.”
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