Parliament gave its "
favorable opinion
" on Wednesday to the renewal of Nicolas Dufourcq for a third term at the head of the public investment bank Bpifrance, said the National Assembly.
Holder of the position since 2013, Nicolas Dufourcq had been proposed at the end of January by the Élysée for a new term of 5 years, but had to obtain the approval of the elected members of the Finance Committee of each of the two chambers of Parliament, at the end of a vote held behind closed doors.
After a morning of hearing, "
the National Assembly issued a favorable opinion on the appointment of Mr. Nicolas Dufourcq
", is it indicated in a press release from the institution, specifying that the Senate committee had issued a similar opinion. .
Read alsoBpifrance, the financial lung of start-ups
In detail, the 59-year-old man obtained 31 votes out of 42 voters in the Assembly, with only four unfavorable opinions.
The number of "
negative votes
" in each commission should not exceed "
three-fifths of the votes cast
", according to article 13 of the constitution.
In front of senators and deputies, Nicolas Dufourcq defended his balance sheet for four hours, affirming that the institution had become under his leadership a “
profitable bank
” which “
generated in 2022 a net result of approximately 1.5 billion euros. euro
»
He presented his main objectives in the event of renewal: "
decarbonize the productive fabric
", "
reindustrialize
" France and "
restore foreign trade
", by making French entrepreneurs understand that "
exporting is a patriotic duty
".
Nicolas Dufourcq especially highlighted his intact motivation, in the face of the concerns of parliamentarians about the "
freshness
" of his outlook and his energy for this position he has held since its creation.
"
My energy capacity to deploy what needs to be deployed - because you have to move mountains - I feel like I still have it
," he told the deputies.
“
I am impatient for France.
Until the issues are resolved, I can't imagine stopping
."
The CEO of Bpifrance has embodied, since its beginnings in 2013, the institution that has become a major player in financing, investment and support for start-ups and SMEs in France.
Appointed in 2013 by then President François Hollande, he had already seen his mandate renewed for the first time by Emmanuel Macron in 2018. This finance inspector, father of three children, had started his career at the Ministry of the Economy and of Finance, then to the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs in 1992.
He then joined France Telecom before chairing Wanadoo.
Then he moved to the IT services group Capgemini, where he became number two.
Bpifrance is 50% owned by the French state and 50% by the Caisse des dépôts (CDC), at the head of which the director general Éric Lombard was reappointed in January.