"Green industry tax credit", overhaul of the automotive bonus: Emmanuel Macron unveiled Thursday his strategy to "accelerate" the "reindustrialization" of the France, also calling on the European Union to make "a regulatory pause" in terms of environmental standards. The head of state had announced the color in Challenges: reindustrialization is "the mother of battles", he said, after having tackled in pain pensions, long presented as "the mother of all reforms".

"I am convinced that this battle, we can win it," he said Thursday at the Elysee Palace in front of the actors of the French industry. Reindustrialization also means "creating purchasing power" and "stopping the dropping out of this France of territories". As he tries to revive his bogged down five-year term, he has announced several measures to move up a gear.

Deadlines, training, tax credit

The first, unveiled on Wednesday, aims to set up "hypersimplified procedures" to "halve the delays" of a new industrial establishment in France, from 17-18 months today to 9 "maximum". For this, while industrial land is scarce, the Banque des territoires (one of the departments of the Caisse des Dépôts) will invest a billion euros to "clean up" wastelands and make them available for future projects.

He also promised an additional 700 million euros to develop training for "jobs of the future" or "in tension" in industry. Emmanuel Macron also announced the creation of a "green industry tax credit" to support the production of batteries, heat pumps, wind turbines or solar panels. It will be part of the green industry bill, expected Tuesday in the Council of Ministers, and according to him "will trigger 20 billion investments on the national territory by 2030".

Ecological bonus

The ecological bonus for the purchase of an electric car will be reformed to "take into account the carbon footprint" of their production and promote vehicles manufactured in Europe. In China, the energy that makes it possible to produce them is still largely based on coal. The same logic applies to public orders, which will take into account environmental criteria "for key decarbonisation products" such as wind turbines and heat pumps from July 2024 instead of 2026.

These announcements are intended to put into French music the European response to the very voluntarist, if not protectionist, policy established by Joe Biden in the United States to support industry and the energy transition. Emmanuel Macron had been in the autumn in the front line to push the Old Continent to arm itself against this competition, and the rise in Chinese power.

"Pause on ecology"

The head of state also called on the European Union to make "a European regulatory pause" in terms of environmental standards, believing that these were already stricter than elsewhere and that it was now necessary to "stability". "The president is not talking about suspension, but about executing the decisions already taken," said the Elysee. "The France in no way defends a moratorium (...) There is no change of course simply attention to ensure that the rules are practicable by all economic actors," said Renaissance MEP Pascal Canfin, who chairs the European Parliament's Environment Committee.

"There have been tangible results in recent years, so to continue, it seems quite good to us," said Alexandre Saubot, president of France Industry. But the boss of the Greens, Marine Tondelier, has tackled the head of state. "The French are asking for a pause on the implementation of the pension reform. Macron offers them a pause on ecology."

More on Friday

The executive believes that its policy is beginning to bear fruit. It highlights 300 net factory creations in France between 2017 and 2022, compared with 600 net destructions between 2008 and 2016. The president even predicts the catching up "by the end of the five-year term" of the "shock of deindustrialization due to the crisis of 2008".

On Friday, the head of state continues the sequence. He will visit the Dunkirk aluminum plant, "the largest producer of primary aluminum in Europe," according to the Elysee. It must also "formalize new investments", including the establishment by the Taiwanese group ProLogium of a fourth battery factory for electric vehicles in France, for an entry into production from the end of 2026. This investment is part of the announcements expected Monday at the sixth edition of the "Choose France" summit held at the Palace of Versailles. This annual meeting launched by Emmanuel Macron in 2018 aims to attract foreign investment.

  • Economy
  • Industry
  • Emmanuel Macron
  • Ecology
  • Bonus
  • Formation
  • Elysée
  • Pascal canfin