Jean Castex greeted Friday from the suburbs of Caen the rise of third places, in which the State will invest an additional 130 million euros.
He sees in these hybrid spaces “
an antidote to withdrawal into oneself
” but also a tool for relocation, training or even ecological transition.
“
These third places are a federating factor for a society that really needs them.
You are an antidote to withdrawal
”, launched the Prime Minister to the tenants of WIP, a third place located in Colombelles (Calvados), east of Caen.
Read alsoThe deployment of third places is accelerating
These hybrid spaces, where manufacturing workshops, start-ups, cultural activities are found among others, are experiencing exponential development, since 2,500 are currently listed and between 500 and 1,000 new ones should be created by the end of 2022. A sign, according to Jean Castex, of the post-Covid upheavals which amplified the phenomenon.
"
We are at the same time on very strong sociological movements, on new forms of the economy, on new forms of work and on new forms of social relations
", he underlined.
Strengthen the "economic sovereignty of the country"
Confirming the release of an envelope of 130 million euros, half of which comes from the recovery plan, the Prime Minister stressed that the third places meet the objective of strengthening the "
economic sovereignty
" of the country, the health crisis having "
shown that we have let go too much
" in terms of production.
Formerly mayor of the small town of Prades (Pyrénées-Orientales), Jean Castex explained that he supported the establishment of a third place a few years ago after having "
understood the major interest
".
But "
this new economy must find its model because it must be established over time
", he stressed, while third places live for 50% of public money (State, communities, etc. .), according to the France third-places association.
Read also Jean Castex welcomes the commitment of the young people of the SNU
In the suburbs of Caen, the Prime Minister visited a factory focusing on steel and woodworking, where a fleet of machines is made available to professionals. He was also introduced to the “
micro-follies
” device, installed at WIP, which allows remote visits, using digital tools, of the collections of numerous museums, or even to follow concerts or other cultural events. . Currently 200 in number, these micro-follies, actively supported by Jacqueline Gourault's Ministry of Territorial Cohesion, are also booming, with an average of five inaugurations per week.
