As part of the State-Regions partnership under the France Relance plan aimed at fostering industrial recovery in the regions, the government, Régions de France and Territoires d’industrie announced on March 23 eight new winning projects in the overseas territories for 2021, bringing the total to 25.
Bruno Le Maire, Minister of the Economy, Finance, and Economic Recovery; Jacqueline Gourault, Minister of Territorial Cohesion and Relations with Local Authorities; Agnès Pannier-Runacher, Deputy Minister for Industry; and Renaud Muselier, President of Régions de France, announced at a joint press conference on Tuesday, March 23, that nearly 300 million euros in additional funding has been allocated to the Fund to Accelerate Industrial Investment in the Regions, financed by the government and the regions. This is « A new phase in the partnership between the central government and the regions for industrial revitalization », the participants said.
« The government will allocate 157 million euros, including 141.5 million in regionalized funds earmarked for the 12 regions (from France, Ed.) which are co-financing the program, and 15.5 million euros for Corsica, the overseas territories, community projects, and regions facing industrial shocks », their press release states. « These additional funds are expected to benefit more than 500 new industrial projects across the regions. These projects could create nearly 15,000 new jobs, given that each industrial job generates an average of three related jobs.. »
The eight new winning projects in the French overseas territories for 2021 are located in Réunion (Entreprise européenne de chimie appliquée [Le Port], Soleil Réunion [Sainte-Marie], Isoplast, and SOC Production Huile de Bourbon [Saint-Pierre]), in French Guiana (Sciage des Bois Tropicaux [Saint-Laurent du Maroni] and SAS Délices de Guyane [Rémire-Montjoly], in French Polynesia (Compagnie du fruit marquisien [Nuku Hiva]), and in Martinique (SA de la Raffinerie des Antilles [Le Lamentin]). In total, the overseas territories now have 25 winning projects totaling 68.3 million euros.
The Fund for Accelerating Industrial Investment in the Regions finances industrial development or relocation projects (establishment and expansion of sites, modernization, new equipment, training centers, etc.) that are expected to have the greatest possible impact on the regions concerned. Projects are selected based on their economic, social, and environmental impacts, and each decision must be made in close consultation with local stakeholders by the regional prefect and the president of the regional council. As part of the France Relance plan, the Fund received 400 million euros from the government in July 2020, supplemented by funding from certain regions.
Since its official launch in September 2020, « This fund has already supported 531 industrial projects (of which 90% are led by small and medium-sized enterprises and mid-sized companies) with 270 million euros in grants secured. This has accelerated €2.5 billion in industrial investments across the regions, resulting in the creation of nearly 14,000 direct industrial jobs and the preservation of 50,000 direct industrial jobs. », the government states. The measure is set to remain in effect until the end of 2022.
