This is one of the striking data from the Barometer of France’s attractiveness published by the EY firm at the beginning of May: with 183 projects completed in 2023, Germany is the second largest foreign investor in France, just behind the United States. (215 projects) and well ahead of Belgium (83 projects). Daniel Hager, chairman of the supervisory board of the family group of the same name, is one of those German leaders who believe in the potential of France.
Originally from Saarland, Hager is a specialist in electrical equipment. It is a typical company of the German Mittelstand, this network of medium-sized exporting and often family-owned companies. The group, which achieved 3.2 billion euros in turnover in 2023, for 13,000 employees spread across ten countries, plans to invest several tens of millions of euros on its two French production sites in coming years. The exact amount will be announced on Monday May 13, during the Choose France summit.
“Our Obernai site, in Bas-Rhin, is the largest in the groupunderlines Mr. Hager. This is where the arc cutting skill lies, essential in our products. As demand continues to grow, we want to develop another subsidiary site, in Bischwiller, at the same time as other company locations in Europe. »
Hager, founded in 1955, has been present in Alsace since 1959, at the time when Saarland was economically attached to France. Its fuse boxes now equip four out of ten homes in France. Daniel Hager, French-speaking, knows the country perfectly. He underlines that the welcoming tone towards industrial companies adopted in recent years is a favorable factor for investment: “We feel more valued by political discourse. There is a dynamic. We feel that reindustrialization is a real subject. »
He sees this at the local level: “In Alsace, the economic development agency does a lot to help businesses develop, by removing administrative barriers as much as possible, with people very well connected in the industrial fabric. Authorizations are often much faster than in Germany. » Added to this is the tax factor: corporate tax reduced to 25% is considered by the manager as an important factor in attractiveness.
Lifting subsidies for electric cars
The rise of the National Rally in the polls does not really worry the Saar leader. He is rather alarmed by the situation in Germany. “The political instability in Berlin is something we don’t talk about enough. You have a tripartite government that does not know where it is going, that is unable to agree on reforms to be made, or makes erratic decisions. It’s very bad for investment”continues Mr. Hager, who cites the example of subsidies for electric cars, suddenly lifted in December 2023, when demand for these vehicles was increasing.
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