The debate over a factoryless French industry is making a comeback

Jean Tirole, a Nobel laureate, stated that France should abandon efforts to revive traditional industries, focusing instead on advanced technologies like AI and biotechnology. He criticized France's ongoing investments in outdated sectors, emphasizing the need to adapt to global competition dominated by the US and China. Despite initiatives for industrial recovery post-Covid-19, many traditional sectors in France are struggling, with the industrial share of GDP stagnant at 10%, significantly lower than Germany and Italy.