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☆ Kretinsky to install former Metro and Lactalis exec at Casino if offer succeeds, Les Echos reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, July 9 (Reuters) - Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky and his partners are prepared to hire former Metro (B4B.DE) and Lactalis executive Philippe Palazzi as the new boss of French supermarket chain Casino (CASP.PA), should their refinancing offer for the debt-laden company succeed, Les Echos reported on Sunday. Kretinsky could not immediately be reached for comment outside working hours. Kretinsky's offer is valid until Monday. It faces a rivalling offer led by telecoms maverick Xavier Niel, investment banker Matthieu Pigasse and businessman Moez-Alexandre Zouari, which Casino said had also been extended to the same day. Reporting by Tassilo Hummel; Editing by Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Daniel Kretinsky, Philippe Palazzi, Les Echos, Kretinsky, Palazzi, Xavier Niel, Matthieu Pigasse, Moez, Alexandre Zouari, Tassilo Hummel, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Metro, LinkedIn, Thomson Locations: Czech

AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France, July 8 (Reuters) - A "Chinese storm" is looming over Europe's growing electric vehicle (EV) sector, Renault Chairman Jean-Dominique Senard told Reuters on Saturday, as Asia's superpower dominates key raw materials to make batteries for zero emission cars. "When I talk about a Chinese storm, I'm talking about the strong pressure today related to Chinese (electric) vehicle imports into Europe," Senard said. China's export restrictions are escalating a technology war with the United States, potentially causing more disruption to global supply chains. The development of alternative fuels - such as synthetic e-fuels and hydrogen - would be crucial in the event of a sudden shortage of batteries due to a dearth of raw materials, Senard said. Reporting by Mathieu Rosemain; Additional reporting by Gilles Guillaume Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jean, Dominique Senard, Senard, Mathieu Rosemain, Gilles Guillaume, Mark Potter Organizations: Renault, Reuters, Thomson Locations: PROVENCE, France, China, Europe, United States

PARIS, June 7 (Reuters) - Atos (ATOS.PA), the struggling French IT consulting firm planning to split into two listed entities, said it expected sales at loss-making unit Tech Foundations to hit bottom in 2024. That will see it separate Tech Foundations from Eviden, which groups Atos' most coveted assets such as cybersecurity division BDS and supercomputers. Co-CEO Nourdine Bihmane said on a call with reporters that the split-up plan was "on the verge to be completed in the main countries". He also said plans to sell 700 million euros of assets, deemed crucial to finance the company's turnaround plan, were "almost completed". About 20% of that 1.2 billion-euro turnaround plan, which entails laying off about 7,500 people, has been achieved, he said.

Persons: Atos, Nourdine Bihmane, Mathieu Rosemain, Sudip Kar, Gupta, Mark Potter Organizations: Tech, Eviden, Thomson

☆ Macron, Biden talk, but statements differ on Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, April 20 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden on Thursday, but statements the two leaders released differed over Taiwan just 10 days after Macron had drawn criticism with allies over the issue. A readout from the French presidency made no direct mention of Taiwan, merely saying that both sides desired to "support international law, including freedom of navigation, throughout the Indo-Pacific region." The White House statement was in stark contrast, saying the two leaders "had reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait." The French presidency also said it had presented "results obtained" from the China trip to Biden, although it did not elaborate on what those results were. Contrary to the White House statement, the French presidency said China had a role to play in the medium term to ending the war in Ukraine.

☆ Macron stands by China interview - French diplomat
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, April 12 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron is not backtracking on comments in China urging the European Union to reduce dependency on the United States, a senior diplomat said on Wednesday. The French diplomat, who requested anonymity, told reporters that the substance of what Macron said, which focused on his pet project of European strategic autonomy, was clear, and his position on Taiwan and China has not changed. "This is something the president stands by entirely," he said of the interview. "France respects the One China principle and the president told (Chinese President Xi Jinping) that the Taiwan question should only be resolved pacifically," the French diplomat added. "No, Europe will not get dragged into that, but that doesn't mean Europe will disengage (from the Taiwan issue)."

☆ Macron: France favours 'status quo' on Taiwan, position unchanged
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Michel Rose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] French President Emmanuel Macron and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte speak at a news conference during Macron's state visit to the Netherlands, in Amsterdam, Netherlands April 12, 2023. We're in favour of the status quo. This policy is constant and hasn't changed," Macron told a news conference during a state visit in the Netherlands. "So no, France does not support provocations, does not engage in fantasy politics and considers the status quo, respect and clarity are the best allies of European strategic autonomy," Macron said. The meeting between Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California last week - prior to China's drills - was a "provocation", the diplomat said.

As a result, the stakes of the inaugural trip by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock have risen, with many EU members hoping Berlin will use this opportunity to set out a clear and united EU line on China, analysts said. Baerbock must now make Germany's position on Taiwan clear during her visit, German foreign policy parliamentarian Nils Schmid told Reuters, adding Macron's remarks had destroyed a hoped-for impetus for a common European China policy. The foreign minister is due to meet her counterpart Qin Gang and China's top diplomat Wang Yi on the two-day trip. Europe's view of China as partner, competitor and systemic rival is the compass of its policy, she added. "More von der Leyen than Macron should be her guideline," conservative foreign policy lawmaker Johann Wadephul, who will join Baerbock on her trip, told Reuters.

[1/4] Chinese President Xi Jinping and France's President Emmanuel Macron meet at the Guandong province governor's residence, in Guangzhou, China, Friday, April 7, 2023. Macron's comments came in an interview on a trip to China that was meant to showcase European unity on China policy, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also taking part, but highlighted differences within the European Union. A senior diplomat from Central and Eastern Europe, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: "President Macron is not speaking for Europe or the European Union. The French foreign ministry cancelled a planned debrief on the trip for foreign diplomats in Paris on Tuesday as officials scrambled to make sure they had a consistent message and to limit any fallout with Washington. But even some of those broadly supportive of Macron's agenda lamented the handling of the China trip, in which von der Leyen received a much more muted welcome than the French president.

☆ Macron criticised for saying Europe should take independent stance on Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, April 10 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron has caused a stir by saying Europe has no interest in accelerating the conflict in Taiwan and should become a "third pole" independent of both Washington and Beijing. Political actors on both sides of the Atlantic criticised the president's position as being too accommodating of China, just as it carries out military drills around Taiwan. China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control. He added that the French president was "increasingly isolating himself in Europe." If Europe doesn't "pick sides between the U.S. and China over Taiwan, then maybe we shouldn't be picking sides either [on Ukraine]," the Republican senator said.

☆ Macron says Europe should not follow U.S. or Chinese policy over Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 9 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron said in comments published on Sunday that Europe had no interest in an acceleration of the crisis over Taiwan and should pursue a strategy independent of both Washington and Beijing. Macron has just returned from a three-day state visit to China, where he received a warm welcome from President Xi Jinping. "The worst thing would be to think that we Europeans must become followers on this topic and adapt to the American rhythm or a Chinese overreaction," Politico quoted him as saying. On Friday, an adviser to Macron told reporters in Guangzhou that Xi and Macron had a "dense and frank" discussion on the issue of Taiwan during their meetings. Macron travelled to China with a 50-strong business delegation including Airbus and nuclear energy producer EDF, which signed deals during the visit.

☆ BNP Paribas aims to raise age limit for chairman -filing
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The French lender will put a resolution to shareholders seeking to raise the age limit of its non-executive chairman role to 75 from 72, according a formal notice filed on Monday to authorities. BNP Paribas will also ask shareholders allow the board, once the 75 age threshold is reached, to prolong the chairman's mandate by an additional year. Born in 1950, Lemierre was named BNP Paribas' chairman in 2014, replacing Baudouin Prot. He's a former president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and led the French Treasury between 1995 and 2000. Reporting by Mathieu Rosemain; editing by Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ ECB's Villeroy says markets 'overreacted' with rate hike bets
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

FRANKFURT, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Investors betting on more interest rates hikes by the European Central bank have 'overreacted' to strong U.S. data and ECB communication since last week, the Banque de France Governor said in an interview published on Wednesday. "There is an excess of volatility in the terminal rate expectations," François Villeroy de Galhau told French daily Les Echos. "Put differently, markets have overreacted a little since Thursday." Villeroy said that peak interest rates could be reached by the end of the summer but the ECB was under no obligation to raise rates at each of its meetings until September. Reporting By Francesco CanepaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Santander is not interested in potential acquisition of Orange Bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

MADRID, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Spain's Santander (SAN.MC) is not interested in the potential acquisition of Orange Bank (ORAN.PA), the mobile banking unit of Orange, chairman Ana Botin said on Thursday. Les Echos reported on Wednesday that French banks BNP Paribas , Credit Agricole (CAGR.PA) and Societe Generale (SOGN.PA) were mulling a bid for Orange Bank. The newspaper added that Spanish bank Santander and U.S. private equity fund Cerberus were also considering a bid. "We are not interested in Orange," Botin said during the annual earnings press conference in Madrid. Reporting by Emma Pinedo; Editing by Jesus AguadoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Airbus interested in minority share in Atos's Evidian - Les Echos
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Shares in French IT group Atos rallied on Monday, after newspaper Les Echos reported Airbus (AIR.PA) had started "exploratory talks" to take a minority share in the firm's cybersecurity unit, citing unnamed sources. Atos said that as part of its strategic plan, "the company had initiated exploratory discussions with potential future minority shareholders in the scope of activities grouped under the name of Evidian". Atos shares, which lost more than half of their value last year, rose around 7% in early Paris trade on Monday. "These discussions are not sufficiently advanced to allow any further comment", Atos said. Writing by Ingrid Melander and Tassilo Hummel; Editing by Bradley Perrett, Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ EDF could lose 5 bln euros from France's windfall tax -Les Echos
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Nov 24 (Reuters) - A planned French windfall tax on energy companies' profits during Europe's current energy crisis would likely cost debt-laden nuclear giant EDF (EDF.PA) around 5 billion euros ($5.20 billion) next year, newspaper Les Echos reported on Thursday. The levy, which is part of the 2023 fiscal bill parliament is currently deliberating, would make EDF by far the biggest contributor to the scheme, Les Echos said. EDF, the operator of France's nuclear plants and many renewables sites, declined to comment. The French government intends to trigger the levy at 100 euros per megawatt hour (MWh) for nuclear and renewable energy production. The move will further strain EDF finances, which after various profit warnings this year linked to problems at its nuclear reactors, is in the process of being fully nationalised.

☆ Macron hosts European CEOs to counter US move temptation
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

European leaders have been alarmed by massive anti-inflation measures passed by Joe Biden's administration, which make tax breaks conditional on U.S-manufactured content and which EU industries say make investment in Europe less competitive. Macron, who has called on the European Union to launch its own 'European Buy Act' to subsidise European production, has encountered resistance from the more anti-protectionist members of the bloc. It was unclear what Macron would tell the executives to convince them not to move to the U.S. But France has unveiled a number of measures over the weekend to cushion the impact of high energy bills for French companies. Reporting by Michel Rose Editing by Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ French, German central bank chiefs urge faster pace on EU capital markets union
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Nov 14 (Reuters) - The war in Ukraine, inflation and the energy crisis have made it more important than ever to press ahead with a capital markets union to finance green and digital transitions, the governors of the French and German central banks said on Monday. "Europe is at the heart of the crisis: Russia’s war against Ukraine, energy crunch, inflation. France and Germany have been at loggerheads over the last month and have postponed a summit to try and resolve their differences. The two said it was vital that the 2015 capital markets union (CMU) initiative launched by the European Union needed to press ahead for financial stability to foster the geographical diversification of funding sources and by strengthening private sector risk sharing through the development of equity funding. "Completing the capital markets union is certainly a long-distance run.

☆ As carmakers unveil new EVs, France ups subsidies for poorer buyers
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Gilles Guillaume | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

PARIS, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Renault (RENA.PA) and Stellantis (STLA.MI) unveiled new French-made electric vehicles (EVs) at the Paris Motor Show on Monday, as President Emmanuel Macron announced bigger subsidies for poorer families to buy EVs and pushed for more local production. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterMost EVs are currently more expensive than fossil-fuel equivalents and are unaffordable for many. "We have an industrial strategy in place for people to buy more and more French (cars)," Macron told Les Echos. The electric versions of Stellantis' Peugeot 308 sedan and larger Peugeot 408 unveiled on Monday will be assembled in Mulhouse in eastern France. The Renault 4 will join the new electric Kangoo, produced in Maubeuge, and new Mégane manufactured in Douai, also in northern France.

☆ As Renault unveils new EV, France hikes subsidies for poorer buyers
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Gilles Guillaume | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A woman holds a cable to charge up a Renault Kangoo ZE electric utility vehicle at a Renault automobile dealership in Cagnes-Sur-Mer, France, October 22, 2020. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard/File PhotoPARIS, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Renault (RENA.PA) unveiled its new French-made electric Renault 4 at the Paris Motor Show on Monday, as President Emmanuel Macron announced bigger subsidies for poorer families to buy electric vehicles (EV) and pushed for more local production. He added a "social leasing" scheme helping low-income families access an EV for 100 euros per month would start in early 2024. "We have an industrial strategy in place for people to buy more and more French (cars)," Macron told Les Echos. Asked about boosting subsidies for European-made EVs, as the United States has done with its recently-passed Inflation Reduction Act, Macron told Les Echoes he had favoured this approach for years.

☆ Orange says all options on table after report on plans to sell online banking unit
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 12 (Reuters) - Orange (ORAN.PA) is considering "all opportunities" for its online banking arm following a report by French paper Les Echos on Wednesday that said France's biggest telecoms company was planning to sell Orange Bank. "In a very highly competitive environment in the banking market, Orange is considering all opportunities to develop Orange Bank's activities and support its growth," a spokesperson for the group told Reuters. Orange was willing to give up control of its loss-making subsidiary, according to media reports last year, with BNP Paribas (BNPP.PA) seen at the time as the leading candidate among French lenders. Citing sources, Les Echos said the telecom operator had mandated investment bank Lazard to launch a new sale or alliance scenario, which Orange declined to confirm. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Mathieu Rosemain, writing by Juliette Portala, editing by Tassilo Hummel, Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Statele membre ale UE au aprobat planul de redresare pentru depăşirea consecinţelor economice ale pandemiei COVID
▼ + stars: | 2021-06-01 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +3 min

Toate statele membre ale UE au aprobat planul de redresare menit să depăşească consecinţele economice ale pandemiei COVID. Astfel, în iunie va putea începe procesul istoric de emitere a datoriilor comune pentru a finanţa planul, a anunţat Consiliul European. „Uniunea Europeană este acum în măsură să obţină finanţarea necesară”, a anunțat premierul portughez Antonio Costa, a cărui ţară deţine preşedinţia rotativă a UE. Statele membre UE au început să trimită la Bruxelles planurile naţionale de investiţii asociate reformelor structurale la sfârşitul lunii aprilie, pentru a solicita finanţări. Spania şi Italia urmează să fie principalele state beneficiare, cu aproximativ 70 de miliarde de euro fiecare, urmate de Franţa, cu circa 40 de miliarde de euro.

Persons: Antonio Costa, Clément, Plăţile Organizations: UE, Uniunea Europeană, Comisia Europeană Locations: UE, Clément Beaune, Poloniei, Bruxelles, Spania, Italia, Franţa

☆ Nissan vrea să cumpere participaţia statului francez în grupul auto Renault
▼ + stars: | 2018-03-09 | by ( ) www.jurnal.md time to read: +2 min

Statul francez deţine o participaţie de 15% în compania Renault. Compania Renault deţine 43,4% din acţiunile firmei Nissan, dar a acceptat limitarea controlului în cadrul unui acord din 2015. Nissan deţine în prezent 34% din acţiunile Mitsubishi şi 15% din acţiunile Renault. "Orice discuţie despre tranzacţii cu acţiuni care să implice companiile Renault, Nissan ori statul francez este pură speculaţie. Un oficial din cadrul Ministerului Finanţelor de la Paris a declarat pentru Reuters că Guvernul "neagă în totalitate" că ar vrea să vândă companiei Nissan participaţia deţinută de stat la Renault.

Persons: Carlos Ghosn, Emmanuel Macron, Administraţia Emmanuel Macron, Reuters, Jonathan Adashek Organizations: Renault, Nissan, Reuters, Mitsubishi Motors, acţiunile Mitsubishi, Nissan participaţia Locations: francez, Paris, informaţiile, Olanda, Amsterdam, deţine, acţiunile

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