CLIMATE DISRUPTION IS NO LONGER AN INCONVENIENT GREEN, IT'S A REALITY

USPA NEWS - French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, delivered a lengthy Remarks, in MEDEF (Movement of French Enterprises, chaired By Geoffrey De Roux De Beziers), Symposium, at Hippodrome of Longchamp, 29 August at 2pm. Previously, the opening keynote was delivered via video conference, by Ukrainian President Zelensky, who was very warmly applauded with a standing ovation from the French Entrepreneurs. Geoffrey De Roux De Beziers, delivered Remarks, following the Ukrainian President before leaving te stage to PM Borne. « Climate change is no longer an inconvenient truth, it's a reality who destroys. It is there, concrete, tangible, visible. No one will escape its effects. It is a danger that weighs on our economy, our health, our daily lives. At the same time as this crisis affects us, a drama shocks us, deeply, a few thousand kilometers from Paris. A democracy is under attack. Entire towns are destroyed. People have to flee. And human lives are lost. As citizens, As democrats, As Europeans, This brutal attack outrages us, revolts us and compels us to act.
Earlier you heard the poignant testimony of President Zelensky. I want here, once again, to assure Ukraine of France's full support. We w

Madam Head of Government,
Mr President of the Council of Ministers,
Ladies and Gentlemen Ministers,
Mr. Prefect, Ladies and gentlemen parliamentarians, Ladies and gentlemen elected officials,
Mr. President, dear Geoffroy Roux De Bezieux, Ladies and gentlemen,
The summer we have just spent is a powerful wake-up call.
These last months :
- the heat wave started even earlier than in other years;
- drought has reached record levels;
- forest fires have destroyed tens of thousands of hectares, including
included in territories hitherto spared;
- severe thunderstorms caused casualties and damage
considerable.

CLIMATE DISRUPTION IS NO LONGER AN INCONVENIENT GREEN, IT'S A REALITY------------------------------------ Climate change is no longer an inconvenient truth, it's a reality who destroys. It is there, concrete, tangible, visible. No one will escape its effects. It is a danger that weighs on our economy, our health, our daily lives. At the same time as this crisis affects us, a drama shocks us, deeply, a few thousand kilometers from Paris. A democracy is under attack. Entire towns are destroyed. People have to flee. And human lives are lost. As citizens, As democrats, As Europeans, This brutal attack outrages us, revolts us and compels us to act. Earlier you heard the poignant testimony of President Zelensky. I want here, once again, to assure Ukraine of France's full support. We will be by his side until the end. In a historic moment for European unity, we adopted seven sanctions packages against Russia. Sanctions against the financial sector and major trade restrictions in many of domains. These sanctions have one objective: to make the price of war unbearable for Russia. It takes unity. It takes firmness.Here I would like to salute the commitment of the companies in the sectors concerned. By applying the sanctions, you ensure their full effectiveness and you are essential players in the resolution of this conflict. Yes, these sanctions have a cost. We know it and the President of the Republic reminded us of it: freedom has a price. Yes, too, this war has heavy, lasting consequences.

NEW MEASURES WILL COME INTO EFFECT IN THE COMING DAYS TO PROTECT PURCHASING POWER EXPLAINED PM BORNE We have acted resolutely to limit the effects of rising prices and protect the purchasing power of French people. New measures will come into force in the coming days. These measures have an unprecedented cost for public finances. This necessary investment, essential, will weigh lastingly on our accounts and make each financial choice more difficult for the State. There are no superprofits from the state. By protecting the country from inflation and a negative supply shock, we have protected our economy, avoiding drifting into an inflationary spiral. This spiral, each economic actor, in the forefront of which companies, would have been a victim. It is essential that everyone measures it, in a public debate that is always quick to look for those responsible or the profiteers. Yet, we speak, a new challenge awaits us, a new urgency: if Russia were to completely cut off its gas exports to Europe, the consequences would be massive.

« THE TIME IS SERIOUS BUT IT IS FOR RESOLVED ACTION PM BORNE » STATED The time is serious, but it is no longer about observations. She is resolute in action. Of course, the next few months and years will be difficult, demanding. But if we act, we can: - overcoming the risk of a gas shortage this winter; - mitigate climate change; - adapt to effects that are already irreversible; - but also, to make the ecological transition an opportunity for innovation, for growth, for employment. We can achieve this, but there are several conditions to this. The first: we must act faster and stronger. We must implement radical and innovative solutions, initiate powerful changes in our ways of producing, of investing, in training for the jobs of tomorrow. The second condition is to set common goals. The time is no longer for quarrels between the partisans of an ecology of small steps and those of the decrease. All goodwill must unite around clear objectives and shared ambitions. The third condition is that we unite. State, communities, companies, associations, citizens, everyone must play their part, in their own way. We all have our part to play. We are entering the era of collective responsibility. We will succeed together or we will fail together. I told you, our first challenge will not wait. Russia has already cut off most of Europe's gas supply. And if it were to completely cut its exports, we know that Europe will run out of gas this winter. There is no immediate alternative to compensate.

IN THIS CONTEXT WE ARE EXPOSED THAT THE OTHER EUROPEAN NATIONS HAS EXPOSED PM BORNE
In this context, we are less exposed than the other European Nations, but do not believe for a second that our country would be out of risk. We already know that we will have less gas this winter than in other years.
We also know that our nuclear fleet is experiencing difficulties and that the rapid restart of shutdown reactors is essential to avoid outages. And we are experiencing the explosion of gas and electricity market prices.
Since day one, my Government has acted:
- we have increased the import capacities of our LNG terminals;
- we have drastically simplified the procedures for quickly connecting a new floating LNG terminal in Le Havre;
- we are in the process of increasing our storage and they will be 100% full at the end of the summer;

WITH THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC WE NEGOTIATE SO THAT EUROPE A COMMON PLATFORM FOR LNG EXPLAINED PM BORNE With the President of the Republic, we are negotiating so that Europe is able to offer a common purchasing platform for liquefied natural gas; We are doing everything we can to restore EDF's industrial performance; and we are mitigating the rise in prices, with tax reductions on energy, the increase in ARENH, which reduces your bills of electricity and exceptional aid authorized by the Union European Union in connection with the Ukrainian crisis. This crisis is a new challenge for European solidarity. We must respond present: firstly, because we would suffer greatly, in return, from the consequences of a European economic slowdown; and then, because it is by showing solidarity today that we, in turn, will be able to benefit from it tomorrow. So, faced with the threats of shortages this winter, we have only one way: to reduce energy consumption. This drop, I suggest that we organize it together. If we do not do this, if everyone does not do their part, sudden gas cuts could take place overnight, with serious economic and social consequences. This is load shedding, which can, moreover, also concern electricity, and we must avoid it at all costs. So, our first priority is to stop now all energy consumption that is not essential. This is the meaning of the sobriety plan announced by the President of the Republic on July 14.

THIS PLAN IS A PACT PREFERRING CHOSEN SAVINGS RATHER THAN SUFFERED CUTS This plan is a pact that we offer you: prefer chosen savings rather than suffered cuts. The state must be the first to lead by example. At my request, sobriety measures were taken this summer and each ministry must finalize a sobriety plan in September to reduce our consumption by 10%, at least in the next two years. "SOBRIETY IS ALSO OUR RESPONSIBILITY AS CITIZENS" DECLARED PM BORNE Sobriety is also our responsibility, as citizens. I measure the concerns of the French. I know that many are already multiplying eco-gestures. But the situation is worrying. Everyone must ask themselves what they can do to consume less, at their level and given their means. “Given its means”, I insist. Because, obviously, the French in energy poverty are not those who will still have to make efforts. A vast information campaign on eco-gestures will be launched in the coming weeks. I am counting on you, too, to relay it. Sobriety, finally, obviously concerns your companies: - I know that you have already started to reduce your consumption because you are suffering from the rise in energy prices; But we must go further ; since July, you have been working on additional measures, with the Minister for Energy Transition; the first concrete commitments have been made, particularly in mass distribution, I want to salute them; I also hear, dear Geoffroy Roux De Bezieux, the proposals you make.

« I RETAIN GEOFFROY ROUX DE BEZIEUX THE IDEA OF AN AMBASSADOR OF SOBRIETY IN EACH COMPANY ANSWERED PM BORNE "A I particularly remember the idea of ??an ambassador of sobriety in each company. This model had worked well with the COVID referents, and I invite you to implement it. Beyond these joint reflections, each company must mobilize and to act. I therefore call on everyone to draw up, in September, their own sobriety. If we act collectively, we can overcome this risk of shortage. But if everyone does not play their part, or if all the unfavorable hypotheses come together, we would have to impose reductions in consumption. If we were to come to rationing, businesses would therefore be the first to be affected. And we unfortunately have to prepare for it: we are working with several of you, and in particular France Industrie, on ways to reduce the economic impact of any rationing as much as possible. We are thinking in particular of a market for the exchange of rights to consume; - for companies that would be too strongly impacted, we could take appropriate support measures. « IN OCTOBER WE WILL HAVE AN INITIAL ASSESSEMENT OF THE SOBRIETY PLAN UNDERTAKEN & THE LASTEST FORECASTS », PROMISED PM BORNE I'll give you an appointment at the beginning of October. We will have an initial assessment of the sobriety plans undertaken and the latest forecasts from the experts. I will then present the different scenarios and we will have a clearer view of the risk of rationing. Together, we can overcome the threat of energy shortages this winter. But beyond these exceptional efforts, preparing for this winter and the following ones means accelerating the exit from fossil fuels. It is acting for our energy sovereignty. It also means improving our competitiveness in the face of soaring energy prices.

Ladies and Gentlemen, The coming months are only a step towards the deeper changes that we must undertake for the ecological transition. We need radical change. But make no mistake about the meaning of this word. Radical does not mean violent, suffered, or decreasing. Contrary to the assertion of some, degrowth is not the solution. Degrowth would attack our standard of living. It would jeopardize the financing of our social model. It would hold up our fellow citizens and prevent us from moving forward. The solution will come from new, reoriented growth. The ecological transition is an opportunity. It will make it possible to innovate, to transform existing sectors and to create new ones, to strengthen our sovereignty and to create new jobs. For this, we also need a battle plan: ecological planning. We are not starting from scratch. We rely on a concrete assessment with an acceleration of the reduction of our greenhouse gas emissions during the previous five-year period. EACH SECTOR WILL HAVE OBJECTIVES FOR REDUCING GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AND ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE" A DETAILED PM BORNE Each sector will have objectives for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change and will have to define: a list of very concrete actions to be taken; a precise implementation schedule, with milestones, where we will have to report collectively; resources to be mobilized and obstacles to be lifted in order to succeed. As of September, we will launch the first rounds of discussions and negotiations for the first three key sectors. The first is that of the forest. Beyond the fires this summer, rising temperatures are undermining our forests and increasing the urgency to act. Protecting and better managing our forests means preserving our biodiversity and our carbon sinks. The second sector is water. Reducing water withdrawals is essential for us to adapt to climate change. We must better fight against waste, prioritize our uses and change some of our agricultural practices, following the water and the third sector for which we want to plan is the production of carbon-free energy, around nuclear and renewable energies. The Minister for Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion, the Minister for Agriculture and the Minister for Energy Transition will lead these first three projects. In order not to waste time, as soon as measures are agreed, we will act on their implementation, without waiting for the end of the entire negotiation process. During the fall, this process will be initiated for all sectors, with the objective of achieving, by the end of the year, a first complete vision of our ecological planning. Constant monitoring of its implementation will be carried out by the new General Secretariat for Ecological Planning. This follow-up must be transparent. We want to share it with the French. A dashboard will be made public. Everyone will be able to see where we are. What advances. And what remains to be done. We have a clear strategy. And you will also take your responsibilities, I know that. It is imperative, because the ecological transition will be the sine qua non condition of the competitiveness of companies tomorrow those that do not transform will see their market share, their opportunities, their attractiveness and their ability to recruit talent reduce until they disappear; while those who engage and invest in the ecological transition will grow, attract and develop. Carrying out the ecological transition is therefore in the interest of companies. I know you are determined. You are entrepreneurs, innovators. You have gone through and overcome other transformations, other revolutions. And we will help you do that. We will act to give you a vision, a clear and predictable framework for action, including at European level. I know, dear Geoffroy Roux De Bezieux, that this is one of the strongest concerns of companies. Through planning and our work with the Commission, we provide maximum visibility in terms of standards, taxation and incentives. Thanks to this clear framework, companies, banks and funds will be able to direct their capital massively towards future investments for decarbonization, the evolution of uses or the circular economy. The ecological transition must now be a central criterion for every investment decision, both private and public. We will accompany you to complete and extend your action. This is the meaning, of course, of the France 2030 investment plan, which mobilizes more than 50 billion euros to prepare the France of tomorrow, to respond through innovation to the great challenges of our time, to revolutionize the industry, our transport, our agriculture.

THIS PLAN WILL SUPPORT HYDROGEN, RENEWABLE ENERGIES, ELECTRIC VEHICLES, NUCLEAR AND SEMICONDUCTORS
This plan should make it possible to support our sectors of the future: hydrogen, renewable energies, electric vehicles, nuclear power, semiconductors that consume less, or even materials for the ecological transition. Calls for projects have been launched and nearly 7 billion euros have already been committed. This is a sign that the reindustrialization through innovation and ecological transition, which began in 2017, is working and accelerating. With job creation and new sectors at stake. The results are in :
- 3 gigafactories of batteries in France, whereas we had none in 2017; others on hydrogen are arriving, as in Belfort. It is a huge construction site that is underway. We will still have to accelerate in the coming years.
Supporting your investments is also the role of BpiFrance and ADEME. To succeed in relocation, we are creating a framework for fair competition against less virtuous companies, in particular thanks to the carbon tax on borders of Europe.

"As the President of the Republic has called on you to do, I invite you to share with us ambitious proposals so that this practice becomes the norm. We also expect support from your employees, helping them to adopt cleaner forms of mobility. But also by limiting travel and promoting new ways of working. Ladies and gentlemen, The ecological transition will be a key lever for the emergence of new sectors, new sectors and the creation of new jobs. It is therefore at the heart of our strategy to achieve full employment. Because full employment is one of my Government's key battles. I care about it personally, and it is accessible to us. Thanks to the reforms of the previous five-year period: We have taken learning to record levels; We have made a special effort for our youth; and, above all, we have made work ever more attractive." PM Elisabeth Borne Stated

The results are in :
- the unemployment rate is at its lowest for 15 years;
- the youth unemployment rate is at its lowest for 40 years; we are already half way there. If I make full employment, one of the matrices of the Government's action, it is because a whole model of society stems from it. Work is emancipation and dignity. It is the ability to gain independence, to choose one's life. It is the source of equality, because it rewards the sense of investment and effort. With full employment, we will be able to create more wealth and thereby guarantee the sustainability of our social model. With full employment, we will be able to achieve our growth objectives and be key players in European sovereignty. Full employment will be decisive in achieving our ambition: a strong France in an independent Europe. So, to succeed, the Government will carry out all the necessary reforms, for some in the coming weeks, in order to remove the various obstacles to full employment. We will continue to make work always more rewarding than inactivity.

When so many sectors are experiencing recruitment difficulties, no one can understand that we still have too many unemployed people. As soon as Parliament resumes, we will present to the deputies a draft law on unemployment insurance.
In addition, we will quickly engage in discussions with the social partners, whom I will continue to trust, to change the unemployment benefit rules according to the economic situation: stricter when the employment situation is favorable and more protective when unemployment is higher. We will give back to social workers their vocation. Aid only makes sense if it goes hand in hand with an integration process. This is the objective of the Youth Engagement Contract, which we launched at the beginning of this year. This is the goal of the reform of the RSA, which we want to initiate.

"We will ensure better support for the unemployed, by ensuring that all the actors work together and by simplifying our organization. France Travail will embody this change. We will continue to adapt training to new jobs and labor market needs. We will act from the end of middle school by better orienting and reforming the vocational high schools. We will continue to support the development of learning with a target of one million apprentices by the end of the five-year term. We will make sure to activate all the levers to simplify and encourage the use to vocational training. We will strengthen access to retraining towards the sectors of tomorrow or which are most in need. We will do this with the social partners. I know, dear Geoffroy Roux De Bezieux, your wish to move forward on new proposals in the future of the interprofessional framework agreement concluded on October 15. let's work together." Elisatbeth Boren, PM said

Finally, full employment is the guarantee of being able to finance our expenses. social. Also, for the balance of our system, we will have to work gradually a little longer. We will do this taking into account the long careers, the arduousness, the
job retention for seniors. These reforms require the exchange and sharing of information with all actors in our society. We will hold consultations starting in the fall and we will have the opportunity to discuss it within the National Council of the
refoundation. Ladies and gentlemen, Our action, in the continuity of what has been carried out in the five-year period above, is based on two pillars: create an environment conducive to your growth; and give you the necessary tools to better share the profits.

This is why we created the value-sharing bonus and developed incentive mechanisms. That is why we have made a firm commitment: no tax increases. We are sticking to this commitment, without giving in to the sirens of populism. On the contrary, as you called for, we are going to continue the massive reductions in production taxes and abolish the CVAE. In total, more than one million jobs were created in the previous five-year term. It is an exceptional achievement. Facing us now, and each of you can attest to this, the challenge will be that of recruitment and skills. It is a huge challenge. This is the last step to take to get out of this culture of mass unemployment that has weighed on the country for decades. The key is the attractiveness of the professions.

To recruit, it will not be only a question of waiting for the State to set new standards or new obligations, but for you to act
resolutely:
- to guarantee a better quality of life at work;
- to initiate the necessary wage negotiations;
- to invest in all the obstacles to access to work – I think
in particular the mobility of employees.
There will be no full employment without good employment.
This is the condition of your attractiveness and your growth. You know it. This is also what will allow for robust and sustainable purchasing power. This will ensure the creation of wealth for the benefit of all.

Ladies and gentlemen, The President of the Republic has underlined that we are in a period of toggle: - all our certainties are shaken; - global warming is accelerating; - everything that seemed infinite to us is reaching its limits. WE HAVE TO REACT, CHANGE ADAPT. WE MUST CARRY OUT RADICAL TRANSFORMATIONS IN WAYS OF PORDUCING, INVETSING, AND CONSUMING « We have to react, change, adapt. We must carry out radical transformations in our ways of producing, investing and consuming. The time is no longer to wait. The time is no longer for half measures. The time is no longer for every man for himself. Now is the time for collective responsibility. State, companies, communities, citizens: everyone must play their part. The situation demands it. It's the only way to be successful. It is also a historic opportunity to live better. And for the entrepreneurs that you are, this challenge must be a opportunity. I trust. Together, we will rise to it. Thank you. » Remarks by French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, as it was delivered today, in MEDEF (Movement of French Enterprises, chaired By Geoffrey De Roux De Beziers, Hippodrome of Longchamp)