14 May 2021
French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire during visit to Ukraine: We want to reinforce the economic cooperation between our two countries
Bruno Le Maire
Photo: Government of France
French Minister of the Economy, Finance, and Recovery of France Bruno Le Maire gave an exclusive interview to Interfax during his visit to Kyiv:
Question: Mr. Le Maire, please, tell us more about your visit to Ukraine. What meetings are planned in Kyiv and what deals are going to be signed?
Answer: First of all, I would like to say how happy I am to go to Kyiv, to meet the Ukrainian authorities, and to have the opportunity to reinforce the economic ties between our two countries. France and Ukraine share a lot in common: we are both industrial countries, we are countries with an important part of agriculture, we are European countries, fully determined to reinforce the place of Europe on the international stage.
09:46 13.05.2021
Alstom ready to boost local content in contract for supply of electric locomotives to Ukraine to 35% – French Economy Minister 2 min read
The French concern Alstom is ready to increase the level of local content in the contract for the supply of electric locomotives to Ukraine, French Finance and Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire has said. For example, with regard to the contract for the supply of electric locomotives, Alstom is ready to localize up to 35% of production and service in Ukraine. At the beginning of the discussion, Alstom planned to localize about 20% of production in Ukraine. We realized that this was not enough. This is a vivid evidence of our readiness to take into account the legitimate request of the Ukrainian authorities, Le Maire said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
Amid doubts around the implementation of the €800 billion recovery fund, European Commission and experts stress that the EU instrument is not a US-like emergency stimulus but an investment tool for the medium-term to transform the European economy.
Last July, every EU leader agreed on describing the recovery fund as a “historic deal”, built on the unprecedented joint issuance of €800 billion of EU bonds.
But the slow process of finalising all the details of the fund, preparing national recovery plans and green-lighting the massive borrowing in national parliaments sparked concerns among investors and criticism in national capitals.
“We have lost too much time. China has resumed its growth, the US is booming, the EU must remain in the race,” French finance minister, Bruno Le Maire said recently.
A report published by
Reuters, citing comments made by France s Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire when he visited the Ivory Coast, says the cotton production programme will target 120,000 cotton farmers in the northern region of the country and boost revenue in the cotton sector.
The Ivory Coast produced 490,000 tonnes of cotton in the 2019/20 season and 2020/21 output is forecast at 500,000 tonnes by the Agriculture Ministry, the report states.
If the laws are adopted, buyers would be required to trace their inputs through every step of their supply chains, including starting at the level of small farms.
The Commission has announced it will present its legislative proposal on the matter later this year.
France on Tuesday (27 April) called on the EU Commission to expedite its approval of massive spending plans designed to prop up the bloc's economies hobbled by COVID-19 restrictions.