Is French industry dying or changing form? And how can Europe restore France's competitive panache on the global market? Our online participants and panel of MEPs debate.

European election Hangout: Can Europe ease France's malaise?

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/11787926/d006-0007-enx.srt

Hello, and welcome  to another edition of Hangout

from the European Parliament in Brussels.

France voted in late March  in municipal elections

and some people here saw them as a test  for the European elections on 25 May.

Others say,  'No, European elections are different.'

But the problems are the same -  the economy, jobs and deindustrialisation.

hasn't responded  to the challenges in time.

Will the European Union get  a better report card? We'll wait and see.

To discuss this, I'm pleased to welcome  Catherine Trautmann to the studio.

but you're in the Socialists Group  in the Parliament.

You were minister for culture  in the Jospin government,

and you're clearly continuing  on your European path.

On my right is Jean-Pierre Audy. Hello.  You're a member of the UMP.

You're a member of the European People's  Party here in Brussels and in Strasbourg.

You're from Corrèze, you're originally  from Tulle, as we hardly need to say.

Meymac, yes. But you were born in Tulle.  -Born in Tulle.

Right. On your website I noticed  that you present yourself

as a French MEP,  representing citizens of the Union.

I'm French and I represent French citizens  in the European Union

because elections take place  in a constituency.

Right. Also with us  and contributing live to the debate,

I'm pleased to welcome Yves Fiorda.  -Hello.

You're an entrepreneur.  You're managing director of ACM Industrie,

VP of the Federation  of Mechanical Engineering Industries

and a member of the MEDEF  committee for training.

Also with us is Laurent Pinsolle.  -Hello.

I would introduce you firstly as a blogger.

by looking at your blogging website  called 'Gaulliste Libre'.

You're also the national delegate  for the economy and budget

And last but not least  we have Françoise Maréchal with us.

You're a member of the CGT in Amiens.  You also work for Valeo

and you will surely have a lot to tell us  about the social atmosphere

that currently prevails  in your industry and your company.

Right. And I'd like to start  right away with you, Ms Maréchal,

with the questions you want  to put to my two guests.

I'd like you to say  who you're putting it to first

so we don't lose too much time.  Over to you.

The main question of the CGT  is this problem of European subsidies

which take advantage of them  to put a lot of people out of work.

We've seen that most recently  at Goodyear in Amiens,

since that's a neighbour of Valeo.  -Is it possible to...

I think we need to identify  what exists to help employees

when there are job losses linked  to an industrial process of adjustment,

which is made necessary by competition  that the company can no longer tolerate.

That is a positive thing.  We fought to obtain it,

to maintain it and to make sure it's funded.  I think we can say that's to our credit.

Then there are subsidies or grants that  go with a company's development plans,

but these development plans must take into  account the work of employees and jobs.

I am of course in favour, with my group,

of making companies accountable  when they benefit from public money.

Whether it's local, national or European,  the rule must be the same.

From that point of view, I was disappointed  and also very disconcerted

that the 'Florange law' has been censured,

because I think we have to find solutions.

When companies make profits they must  be responsible for safeguarding jobs.

Mr Fiorda, I'd like  to turn to the corporate world

to see how you respond  to what Ms Maréchal said.

I'm known for not being a boss  who is systematically against

The important thing we have to do  is create wealth.

What do people want?  What did they vote for?

People want to live better,  to have a bit more money,

to have job security,  and to try to move forward together.

We are bosses, because being  a company boss is what we do every day.

There's the 'responsibility pact'. I think  we prove our responsibility every day.

And after we've done that, we'll create jobs.

Today we have  fundamental structural differences

with European countries,  particularly Germany.

Germany has invested in 150,000 robots,  whereas we have 40,000.

With all the future professions  and all the young people we'll employ,

the wealth we'll create, the jobs we'll create,  that is what scares me.

This is the question  I'd like to put to our MEPs

who are skilled at compromise in relation  to the usual left-right discourse

How are we going to stop these differences  that we have in our European countries?

I'll stop talking, but Germany is  our largest client and our largest supplier.

There are many differences  in working conditions and remuneration.

Ms Trautmann, do you want to respond  to Mr Fiorda?

and say that in innovation and research,  for example,

and in the COSME programme,  specifically for SMEs,

our Industry Committee  has really come to an agreement

to support both business-driven initiative

and at the same time  all the cross-industry fields

I also think we can do better,  and I speak from experience,

so that we develop intermediary industries

which are the ones  that can step in as investors

In my region and my city  I can cite, for example,