"We cannot sustainably have half of the private sector employees paid by the state"

The president of France Industrie, the professional organization representative of Industry in France, calls for a major industrial renaissance plan.

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Le Figaro. - Industrial activity in France is at 50% of its capacity, which is much lower than other European countries, starting with Germany. How do you explain this delay?

Philippe VARIN. - The average activity rate in industry in France is 56%, with large differences: construction is 10%, cars between 10 and 15%, health and food close to 80%. Northern Europe turns at 80%, and Germany is not far from this level. This situation cannot go on forever. If we stay at this level of activity, we will face very strong competition. The world is not waiting for us. In addition, it costs France 2 billion euros a day. We cannot sustainably have half of the private sector employees paid by the State, with partial unemployment among the most protective

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