The word for eco this week is “sovereignty”. We talked a lot about it, especially in the aisles of the Paris Air Show which closes its doors tomorrow evening, Sunday June 25.
The sovereignty of our industrial tool: much has been said about it, all this week, during the Paris Air Show, the 54th International Aeronautics and Space Show which closes its doors this Sunday, June 25, at the Bourget exhibition center.
franceinfo: Here is a study that sheds light on this reflection of the week?
Isabelle Raymond: This study distributes the good and bad points within the companies of the CAC 40. A study carried out by the economic intelligence firm Vélite, which establishes the level of sovereignty of the big names in our economy, according to several criteria, such as the technological innovation, industrial footprint or independence from foreign powers.
And which companies are at the top of the podium?
Well, unsurprisingly, and quite reassuringly, in the top 3, there are two companies specializing in the oh so sensitive defense sector. These are Safran and Thales. They tick all the boxes: jobs in France, international influence, secure shareholders and large research and development budgets. Safran topped the list for the second time. Note that the aircraft engine manufacturer is also the French company that files the most patents.
The study also notes that our French champions are increasingly strong internationally?
Yes, this is what she calls offensive sovereignty, which is measured by the yardstick of companies’ international influence and their market share. Thus, at least 19 CAC 40 companies generate more than three-quarters of their turnover abroad, nine of them more than 90%. And 17 companies are part of the top three in their respective fields. This is the case in luxury, in particular with LVMH and Kering.
And which are the worst-ranked companies?
The firm specializing in economic intelligence mainly singles out the “least” French companies in the CAC 40. Either because their headquarters are not located in France, or because their capital is not secure enough, without a powerful shareholder of reference. They are at the mercy of investors hungry for short-term profits, at the expense of issues of sovereignty, among others.
Another negative criterion: none of their leaders is French. There is a company that combines all these weaknesses according to the study, it is STMicroelectronics. A company specializing in semiconductors, a field – electronic components – that France and Europe have subsidized massively since the release of Covid, precisely to try to regain a certain sovereignty vis-à-vis Asia.