Cedre is a non-profit-making association within the scope of State operators. It was created on 25 January 1979 as part of the measures taken following the sinking of the oil tanker "Amoco Cadiz" to improve preparedness to respond to accidental water pollution and to reinforce the French response system. It is responsible, at the national level, for documentation, research and experimentation concerning polluting products, their effects and the specialised methods and means used to combat them. Its mission of advice and expertise covers both marine and inland waters. It is financed by subsidies and public and private contracts.
Its research activities within the framework of Marine Science and Technology focus on the development of knowledge and techniques for combating accidental water pollution: decision-making tools, knowledge about pollution, its behaviour and impact on the marine environment, and evaluation of response equipment techniques.
