In front of the Medef, the candidates bet on competitiveness and industrialization

Europe 1 with AFP 4:09 p.m., February 21, 2022, modified at 4:09 p.m., February 21, 2022

Competitiveness, producing in France, ecological transition and wages: in front of around two hundred entrepreneurs, presidential candidates Fabien Roussel, Anne Hidalgo, Yannick Jadot, Valérie Pécresse, Éric Zemmour and Marine Le Pen defended their economic program on Monday.

Less than two months before the presidential election, the six candidates expressed themselves in a civilized atmosphere in front of business leaders, during a meeting organized by the Medef, the Institute of the company and the chambers of commerce and industry, at the heart of the Station F start-up incubator in Paris.

Absent at the last minute, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, "not available" according to the Medef and who wanted to send a representative, an option refused by the organizers.

The exchanges were above all an opportunity for the candidates to try to convince the business world that they intended to defend their interests during the next five-year term.

Unsurprisingly, the question of competitiveness was at the center of the speeches, the candidates having all pointed to the record trade deficit recorded by France last year.

The right-wing candidates have defended a reduction in the tax burden on companies, Éric Zemmour, Marine Le Pen and Valérie Pécresse promising in particular to continue the reduction of production taxes.

Unconvincing environmental proposals

Fabien Roussel wants to act instead on "the energy bill of companies", the communist candidate also defending the nationalization of a bank and the insurer Axa to allow the State to invest more in the economy.

Anne Hidalgo campaigned for the status quo on corporate taxes.

And the ecologist Yannick Jadot offers an "ecological bonus malus on economic policy tools", in particular corporate tax, or via a climate ISF, also defended by the socialist candidate.

Proposals unlikely to arouse the enthusiasm of the audience, but which Yannick Jadot repeated "assume", insisting on the "great climate challenge" to be taken up collectively, and his desire to defend "ecological patriotism".

“The ecological transition will be done with companies, or it will not be done,” he assured.

Another widely shared need: the reindustrialization of France.

This goes in particular for right-wing candidates through a "simplification" of standards, Valérie Pécresse wanting to create an "axe committee" to debureaucratize the administration, when Éric Zemmour leans for a "high commissioner for administrative simplification".

If the question of Europe divided the candidates, on the budgetary rules or on French sovereignty in the European Union, all defended a carbon tax at the borders of the EU.

Wage increases

They also want the state to invest massively in the economy: via a sovereign fund for Marine Le Pen which would attract French savings, while Yannick Jadot proposes to mobilize 25 billion euros in the ecological transition, and Anne Hidalgo four "industrial odysseys" in health, mobility, digital and ecological transition.

The candidates finally affirmed that they wanted to increase net salaries, while purchasing power is the first concern of the French in this campaign, whether by lowering charges on the right, or by increasing the minimum wage for representatives of the left.

Faced with business leaders rather worried about the level of public spending, the candidates also tried to reassure them about the financing of their program, even if the subject of the public debt was only slightly addressed.

Only Valérie Pécresse has strongly emphasized the savings she wants to make: 45 billion euros, in particular through the elimination of 200,000 positions in the public service.

Marine Le Pen also justified her partial abandonment on the principle of retirement at 60 by the level of public debt.

After more than three hours of discussions, the boss of Medef, Geoffroy Roux de Bézieux, who had called on the assistance to a "respectful" attitude, refused to "support such and such a candidate".

"Our concern was to refocus the public debate on essentially economic and also social issues: mission accomplished I would say on the part of the candidates", greeted Patrick Martin, deputy president of Medef.

"We can still see, and you won't make me say who I'm thinking of, that in the eyes of business leaders, some programs are more powerful, more effective, more relevant than others," he said. commented.