On December 4, the association ESCP Europe stands received the former minister and current president of the Hauts-de-France Regional Council, Mr. Xavier Bertrand. At the end of this meeting, several themes were addressed by the students, notably the current state of Europe, his role as President of the region, or even more generally his feelings regarding the social and political situation. .
What conclusions can we make about Europe?
As a convinced Europhile, Mr Bertrand wanted to reaffirm his confidence in the European project, currently shaken up by various deadlines, notably Brexit. Indeed, he vigorously recalled the successes of this entity by evoking peace, the economic development which has borne fruit due to this union or even the transport facilities linked to the adoption of a common currency. According to him, the slowness that can be blamed on certain files is of Franco-French origin, recalling the complexity of our national technostructure.
It would be necessary to entrust Europe with certain delicate issues while trusting in its decision-making power. Faced with the GAFA, it would indeed have known how to react just as it would be possible for it to intervene in the conflict between China and the United States. Therefore, even if the consultation of twenty-six states may prove tedious, the result would be all the more powerful. He therefore wants Europe to reconnect with its sovereignty in order to maintain its influence.
What future for relations between Hauts-de-France and the United Kingdom?
At the dawn of decisive deadlines concerning Brexit, the current president of Hauts-de-France recalled the “special” character that the United Kingdom’s membership in Europe has always had. Indeed, the negotiations they carried out, the clauses they did not wish to include, illustrate a historic ambivalent relationship with Europe. In short, they were “European in their own way”. As the second largest economic power on the continent, he does not consider Brexit as good news but condemns any punishment concerning them, calling for respect for this decision.
Faced with the potential problems that could affect his region once Brexit is executed, Mr. Bertrand assured that he had already anticipated certain constraints. Indeed, it rightly points out that the Hauts-de-France region is the closest neighboring territory to Great Britain which will necessarily have to continue to trade and exchange with the rest of the continent and the world. To prepare for the potential departure of companies from the United Kingdom, he would have started to negotiate the creation of a free zone in Dover or would have also sought to breathe dynamism into the city of Lille which could benefit from these departures (construction of schools for Europeans, rents cheaper than in other European capitals).
According to him, Brexit is not what endangers Europe the most today. He therefore pointed out several problems which would harm cohesion such as relocations to certain Eastern countries or the migration crisis which remains unanswered.
What experience can I gain from being regional president?
The regions today have three main areas of expertise structured around the themes of the economy, transport and high schools. However, despite the clarity brought by the 2015 reform, as regional president, Mr. Bertrand complained of the “obstacle course” that entrepreneurs in France face in the face of the competitiveness of other countries.
Giving more responsibility to the regions would therefore be a way to contract the stages of installation and thus not miss certain opportunities. To do this, he notably cited the example of the installation of Tesla in Europe which chose Germany due to excessively long administrative delays in France. He then dreams of a more autonomous region so that it can be truly attractive by highlighting all its skills and qualities without suffering from structural administrative problems.
How do we view the social crisis?
Due to his experience as a politician, the discussion continued around the theme of the social crisis which is shaking up France. According to Mr. Bertrand, the time is no longer for resignation but for questioning which would take two main forms: voting for the extreme right and demonstration. This situation could be explained by increasingly precarious living conditions and weakened purchasing power even in the case of employment. He then declared that he did not want to make a crusade against the extreme right, but wanted to resolve the causes of the extreme right: poverty, unemployment… Faced with this particular conjecture, Mr. Bertrand warned of the possible disappearance of the right if she does not win in the next presidential elections, which would be synonymous with a shift in public opinion towards the extreme right. However, the objective would not be to win but to put the country back on its feet, to reinstate social justice; a project which would not be favored by the renewable five-year term.
Finally, pension reform occupied the final stages of the debate since Mr. Bertrand denounced a “hypocrisy” on the part of the government which would leave the French in the dark. According to him, faced with the increase in lifespan, two possibilities for pension reform present themselves: lowering salaries or delaying the retirement age. According to him, wages being already low, the second solution is essential. He then proposes to put in place, in ten years, a retirement age set at 64 years except for professions which wear and damage or those which the State considers of such importance that a premature departure is legitimate (police , gendarmerie, army). It is above all a need for justice which, according to Mr. Bertrand, must drive each reform and which he does not find in that initiated by the government of Édouard Philippe.
Written by Clémentine Villas, Tribunes ESCP Europe
