In the spotlight: France relaunches

Audio 04:28

French Prime Minister Jean Castex unveils "France relaunch" in the Council of Ministers, this is the title of his recovery plan of 100 billion euros.

AFP Photo / Bertrand Guay

By: Frédéric Couteau Follow

9 min

Publicity

“France relaunch” is the title of the 100 billion euro recovery plan to boost the French economy, which has been shaken up by the Covid-19 crisis.

A plan presented to the Council of Ministers on Thursday and detailed in

Le Figaro

by Prime Minister Jean Castex.

“ 

We are there,” he

exclaims.

100 billion is considerable, it is almost four times more than the stimulus plan of 2008. It is, partly of the national wealth, the most massive stimulus plan announced to date among European countries.

Massive and calibrated, too, so as to have quick effects.

Thanks to France Relance, we will be back to pre-crisis levels by 2022.

 ”

How will these 100 billion be distributed

?

Jean Castex specifies: first ecology, " 

a first third, or 30 billion euros, will be devoted to accelerating the greening of our economy, our modes of production, transport and consumption and the reduction of our emissions. greenhouse gases.

 "

Then, competitiveness: " 

we will devote 35 billion euros to making France more competitive and more sovereign,"

says the Prime Minister.

Production taxes will fall by 10 billion in 2021 and 10 billion in 2022, and this reduction will be final.

 "

Finally, continues Jean Castex, “ 

the third part of the plan will be dedicated to social and territorial cohesion.

These are massive investments in hospital equipment, the acceleration of the deployment of fiber or the construction of housing.

The top priority is youth employment: 6.5 billion euros will be devoted to this

.

"

Who will pay

?

Commentary from

Le Figaro

: “ 

The challenge for the executive is to show clearly and concretely that this plan can reshape the face of the economy and the daily life of the French.

Reassured by the scale of the sums on the table, public opinion could however,

tempers

Le Figaro, worry about the term financing of these 100 billion.

Upon arrival, who will pay?

The government swears its hand on its heart that there is no question of raising taxes.

Jean Castex relies on funding through the return of growth.

We can hope so.

But,

tempers the newspaper,

many precedents are there to recall that the return to growth by the grace of a "shock of confidence" caused by a plan is more a bet than a guarantee.

 "

After us, the flood

?

Liberation

also wonders: “ 

What is certain

, points out the newspaper,

is that this plan marks the end of the debt taboo.

A positive point in the short term since it prevents the economy from collapsing but possibly problematic in the long term when it will be necessary to repay.

After us the deluge ?

Certainly not: it is France for the next thirty years that this plan will outline.

In this regard, are the right needs being met?

Liberation

still wonders

.

30 billion for the ecological transition is a good start, but is it enough?

And above all, is the new High Commissioner for Planning, François Bayrou, who embodies the old world so much, the right person to project us into the future

?

 "

A clear choice

?

For

La Croix

, it is " 

a clear choice

 ": " 

The medium-term objective is ambitious: to return to France, within two years, its level of wealth before the crisis.

That of the long term is even more so: to design a competitive country, less dependent, more ecological, by 2030. It is this vision which justifies, in the eyes of the executive, to concentrate the effort on companies and sectors of the future, through massive tax cuts, even if it means exposing yourself to criticism, in particular from the left.

The government believes that households have already been helped,

points out the Catholic daily,

via partial unemployment measures;

and that the most precarious will benefit from the large sums devoted to training.

These arguments are debatable.

At least,

concludes

La Croix, is it a clear political choice, which avoids the scattering, which in our country is fairly new.

 "

All right?

Finally, for

L'Humanité

, it is “ 

on the right

 ”: “ 

Far from meeting the challenges posed by the Covid-19, by attacking all the injustices brought to light, the Elysee seeks to bury the world of 'after to impose reforms that risk aggravating the crisis.

 "

And

L'Humanité

to denounce " 

a pro-CAC 40 recovery plan

 " and to deplore that this plan has forgotten the " 

heroes of the second line: cashiers, garbage collectors, handlers, teachers, delivery drivers ..." These men and women women that our economies recognize and pay so poorly, "Emmanuel Macron said.

 "

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