Bruno Le Maire wants to bring law on “green industry”

The Minister of the Economy has announced that a text comprising “fiscal, regulatory, legislative provisions” would be presented in April for “France becoming the first decarbonized nation in Europe”.

by Elsa Conesa and Audrey Tonnelier

“Same place, same decor, same minister, stability reigns.” Bruno Le Maire, who celebrated his sixth greeting ceremony in Bercy on Thursday, January 5, nevertheless seems to be playing his score. The Minister of the Economy must present “in the coming days” a bill on green industry, he announced on Wednesday on France Inter. A text which “will include tax, regulatory, legislative” provisions to “accelerate the [creation] of industrial sites on French territory, to encourage the decarbonation of the industry, to better train, qualify”, he specified, a few hours before Emmanuel Macron evokes the subject in the Council of Ministers.

The objective is to ensure that reindustrialisation, of which the Head of State has made one of his priorities, is “green” in a context marked by a double energy and climatic crisis, and while The COVVI-19 pandemic revealed the country’s dependence in certain strategic sectors, such as semiconductors or health. “We will engage France in a rapid, massive, planned green reindustrialisation,” said Bruno Le Maire on Thursday, who wants “France to become the first decarbonized nation in Europe”.

In doing so, the tenant of Bercy opportunely links two of the major subjects of the second five -year term Macron – reindustrialisation and climate – a few days after the Head of State was strongly criticized for having seemed to minimize global warming in his vows of December 31.

The subject of relocations, it has been beaten up since the war in Ukraine and the entry into force of inflation Reduction Act in the United States, which weaken the attraction of Europe in the eyes of companies . “It is the originality of this majority compared to traditional parties, underlines the European deputy Renaissance Pascal Canfin. The right is not offensive on ecology, and the left is not on competitiveness.”

“Absolute priority”

The bill will be articulated around five sites: taxation (modify or create systems to “green” research and development, industrial investment, etc.), the rehabilitation of brownfields (shortening of deadlines, simplification) , the “Made in France” (creation of a “green industry” label, recourse to public procurement), the investment of part of the 2,500 billion euros in French savings to industry (with The creation of a “green industry book”), and the development of skills (in nuclear and hydrogen for example, with a more inclusive approach intended to encourage the feminization of trades).

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/Media reports cited above.