Hauts de France President, Xavier Bertrand says he would like to be a politician who “talks less but does more,” in terms of the automotive industry in his region.
The regional President, who was closely involved a couple of years ago in trying to solve the migrant crisis engulfing the port city of Calais, made his remarks at the recent Forum on the European Automotive Industry (FEAL) in Lille, grouping suppliers, OEMs and government officials in France’s primary manufacturing region for the sector.
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Several OEMs and many suppliers are in North East France, which is recovering after the loss of many of its traditional mining industries in the past few decades and the economic downturn after 2008.
“Politicians are always wary [but] sometimes politicians can play a positive role and even a decisive role; that was the case in 2008,” said Bertrand at the Lille conference. “I contributed to us saving the car industry in France because we believed in the industry.
“In my current job, my aim is not to save the industry any more, but we can continue to play a very favourable role. We are the first automotive industry region in France. If we look at the skills in the region, I would like to be a politician who talks less but does more. We are trying to help… the car industry to make this region, which is very strongly anchored in the industry, to become the future.
“We are there to help the car industry. We do this by using financial aid, aid by subsidies. We can [also] use regional or European funds.”
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By GlobalDataBertrand also addressed the issue which is fast rising to the top of the French manufacturing agenda – namely how to react to potential job losses in traditional sectors such as diesel engineering – and ways in which those posts can be replaced as technology moves on.
“When public authorities decide on strategies and they decide we have to switch very quickly to electric vehicles, we have to make sure in terms of jobs, it is not detrimental to society,” added the Hauts de France President.
“It takes seven times fewer employees to produce an electric engine. The car industry should have listened far more and we must not hesitate to listen in the hours and years to come. We are not talking [about] blue collar workers and putting them on the dole – I refuse national decisions which create unemployment. We have that responsibility in my region and I want to make sure people know about it on a national and European level.
“We do not create jobs, but politicians are not without their use.”
More than 55,000 people work directly for the auto sector in Northern France. There are more than 400 sub-contractors and suppliers while the region produces 800,000 vehicles per year.
