Paris (AFP)

The automaker Renault on Friday unveiled a vast savings plan with nearly 4,600 job cuts in France, while the second phase of deconfinement is being organized in the country.

The government gave the green light on Thursday to lift many restrictions, including removing the travel limit more than 100 km from his home, reopening high schools, coffee shops and parks. But with greater caution in Ile-de-France, Mayotte and Guyana.

No more departments are in the red zone, but those of Ile-de-France, Guyana and Mayotte are in orange. The deconfinement will therefore be "a little more cautious than in the rest of the territory" because "the virus circulates there a little more than elsewhere," said Philippe.

This marked easing was made possible by the "good results" on the front of the epidemic.

It is shrinking day after day, after having already caused the death of 28,662 people in France, including 66 more in hospitals in 24 hours, according to statistics on Thursday.

- Four Renault sites affected -

The urgency for the executive is also to revive the economic machine after a good unemployment rate of 22% in April, with 843,000 additional job seekers according to Pôle emploi.

Another bad news: the announcement by Renault of the loss of some 15,000 jobs worldwide, including nearly 4,600 in France, out of 48,000, as part of a savings plan of 2 billion euros over three years.

The plan is based on "retraining measures, internal mobility and voluntary departures," said Renault. No dry dismissal is therefore announced.

In France, the plan should affect four sites, under conditions that remain to be defined in part: Caudan (Morbihan), Choisy-le-Roi (Val-de-Marne), Dieppe (Seine-Maritime) and Maubeuge (North).

The project includes in France the shutdown of automobile production in Flins (Yvelines), after the end of the Zoe in a few years. The factory, which currently has 2,600 employees, will be converted and will recover activity from the Choisy-le-Roi site, which employs 260 people in a parts recycling activity.

In total, the reduction in industrial facilities will reduce the company's fixed costs by 650 million euros per year.

- Orly reopens on June 26 -

Renault had published in February its first annual losses in ten years and announced in the process a reduction of its fixed costs by 2 billion euros per year. The manufacturer's difficulties, which suffers from production overcapacity, predated the Covid-19 pandemic, but were aggravated by the crisis.

In addition, Paris-Orly airport, closed since March 31, will resume commercial passenger flights on June 26, announced its manager, the ADP group.

Where will the planes go? Probably to other European countries since Paris is "favorable" to the reopening of the internal borders of the EU from June 15, according to Edouard Philippe. He promises "reciprocity" if certain countries impose fortnight on the French.

For the external borders, "the decision will be taken collectively with all European countries, by June 15," said the Prime Minister.

Towards the overseas territories, "very strict movement" control measures are maintained with a "fortnight" on arrival.

Finally, the head of government "invited" all French people to use the controversial StopCovid smartphone application, a tracking tool intended to help fight the epidemic. He insisted that the executive had "taken all the guarantees", on respect for privacy and freedoms.

© 2020 AFP