The aid from the city consisted of rent-free land and buildings, loan guarantees and €6 million of start-up capital. There were also benefits for fishing companies that brought their business to Ostend. The aid was contested by the vismijn at Zeebrugge and by the Dutch concern Visafslag, who said it was a distortion of fair competition.

The Commission agreed and ordered the aid to be repaid in April last year. However, since then, the Ostend vismijn has merged with its Zeebrugge counterpart. Since the merger answers the question of competition, the Commission decided the aid no longer needed to be repaid. Peeters said he was “delighted” when informed of the decision last week. “Any uncertainly that remained has now been removed,” he said. “Nothing now stands in the way of the crucial extension of the new fish market.”

The crocus vacations for schools, which ended on Sunday, was the year’s first good news for businesses at the coast, with occupancy rates climbing to above 80%. “Hotels and restaurants weren’t full, but it’s still winter, and there’s still a lot of competition from the snow,” said Linda De Mey of Tourism Blankenberge. “The sunny weather did us a lot of good. Cafes with a terrace will have felt the effects of the sun. The weather can stay like this, as far as we’re concerned.”