In the absence of major reform, Emmanuel Macron’s last year will probably be that of investment. A unifying subject, at the end of eighteen months of pandemic which will have prevented him from going to the end of his political agenda. “At the start of the school year, after the work and the consultations in progress, we will decide on an investment plan which will have one objective: to build the France of 2030 and to bring out in our country and in Europe the champions of tomorrow, who, in the fields of digital technology, green industry, biotechnology and even agriculture will shape our future ”, announced the head of state on July 12.
The bet ? Staging the great return of industrial sovereignty, the Covid-19 having revealed the country’s dependence on foreign countries in certain strategic sectors, such as semiconductors or health. “There is the will to strengthen our autonomy, our independence, and to project ourselves in the sectors of the future”, we confirm at the Elysee. And show that France does not resolve to drop out when others announce infrastructure plans with twelve zeros. “Emmanuel Macron is fascinated by what Biden is doing”, summarizes one of his interlocutors.
The Head of State also wants to return to the field which is most politically favorable to him: the economy. “ This is one of the elements that allows him to maximize his advantage as past president, explains Jérôme Fourquet, director of the Opinion department of IFOP. The French people have become aware of the extent of the country’s deindustrialisation with the Covid. ” The executive also knows the political risk of deindustrialization of the territory, materialized in particular during the five-year term with the crisis of “yellow vests”. “A factory that closes is a permanent RN that opens”, said bluntly to World Bruno Le Maire, the Minister of the Economy and Finance.
Create new sectors from scratch
In recent weeks, the tenant of Bercy has therefore multiplied the consultations and must present his proposals to the Elysee these days. These put forward seven or eight new industrial sectors, including semiconductors, biotech, batteries, hydrogen, health, nuclear power and decarbonization of industry, for a total budget of 20 to 30 billion euros.
Some are already subsidized through Franco-German mechanisms – important projects of common European interest (PIIEC), to which we owe in particular the Douvrin battery plant (Pas-de-Calais), inaugurated at the end of 2019. Others could take the form of an investment program for the future (PIA), a device created after the 2008 crisis under the Sarkozy presidency, precisely to meet the same needs. Training courses would be added to consolidate the industries supported. “What’s the use of putting money back into next-generation nuclear power if you don’t have boilermakers?” “, summarizes Bruno Le Maire.
You have 55.7% of this article to read. The rest is for subscribers only.