Yet it is this that it will be much question

Traditional appointment of foreign investors and those who, in Europe, are responsible to attract them, the 4th edition of the World Investment Conference of La Baule officially opens today. After, as a prologue, held yesterday a session devoted to the opportunities of investment in the Mediterranean area, some 700 economic officials and policies are expected during these days that do not want to be limited to only promote the attractiveness of the hexagon.

Yet it is this that it will be much question. Minister responsible for foreign trade, Christine Lagarde has indeed benefited from this event to release, yesterday, the 3rd Edition of the dashboard of the attractiveness, a battery of indicators to highlight 20 strengths or weaknesses of the "France site". It complements the other photograph of the French attractiveness make public, today, the firm of Ernst & Young consultants.

The results of the barometer of Bercy show very minor improvements of an unenviable situation. The France progress on tax plan earning a place for the effective average tax rate companies, although it remains on this indicator, fifth on 9 reference country (France, United States, Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Japan, Belgium, Netherlands). It is also a notch with respect to the weight of social contributions as a percentage of labour costs, from the 10th and final rank (the same countries as above, the Poland) to the... 9.

"Correct the optical effects."

On the other hand, the persistence of some negative points can worry about. The reading of these tables shows indeed that some of the criticism for a long time against the France are still topical, and despite the regular announcements of trains of measures to strengthen the attractiveness of the territory. Our country points in 8th position (out of 10) with respect to the number of strike days, in the 9th for the regulation of labour.

However, explained the Minister on this last item, wrong assessments are not necessarily there where it is expected to find them: this is not so much on conditions of dismissal but rather on those hiring and hours of work that the France would be poorly perceived. "It is to correct the effects of optics", insisted in substance Christine Lagarde, by presenting these results in the company of Clara Gaymard, President of the French Agency for international investments (Afii).

And to hear the Minister, they would be especially glaring on three negative points that the France always displays relative to its competitors. There is a "disconnect between reality and the perception of it." This would explain why the France is often so badly recorded in a number of international rankings starting with those of the World Economic Forum and the World Bank while remaining in the fourth destination for foreign investment in the world in 2005 with almost EUR 40 billion.

"An open economy."

In fact, both Christine Lagarde Clara Gaymard sing the same song: violence in the suburbs of winter 2005, relayed to the envi by Anglo-Saxon television statements about economic patriotism or even the benefits of the Clearstream case are not subjects of concern to their interlocutors. They will "confuse not economic patriotism and protectionism", says Clara Gaymard, pointing with some 30 billion privatization last year "The France is an open economy". "It is a question that is me three or four months ago," said Christine Lagarde on economic patriotism. Now, it would more be the case because many countries follow the same approach to protect some of their areas of activity.