Faced with a record trade deficit last year, France is preparing new aid schemes aimed at boosting supply by French companies abroad, Foreign Trade Minister Olivier Becht announced on Thursday.
The detailed announcements could take place “in the coming weeks, in the coming months,” the minister said during a conference at the Ministry of Finance dedicated to the activity of exporting companies, without giving details about their nature.
Previous support schemes, through the export component of the France Relance plan, ended at the end of 2022 and, in particular, offered credits to exporting companies to promote their products on online platforms abroad, as well as aid for the translation and training.
“We still have a step, even two, even three” to climb internationally
“If we do not internationalize our companies, they will be in danger,” continued Olivier Becht, who considered that “this export culture must spread.”
For the moment, after a record trade deficit in 2021, the trade balance of goods in France registered a new historical collapse in 2022 to 164,000 million euros, especially weighed down by the energy bill.
However, there are reasons for hope: the number of exporting companies has reached the historical level of 144,400.
After years of declining industry participation in production, the government also wants to revive activity internationally by emphasizing reindustrialization.
“When we look at our neighbors, we still have one step, even two, even three, that we could climb if we had a better international culture,” said Olivier Becht again.
Source: BFM TV
