MICHELIN (CGDE) 
"There are a number of sectors in a worrying situation", Marc Ferracci told France Inter, citing the chemical, automotive and metallurgy industries.
These difficulties are due in particular to "very strong international competition (...), not always very fair because it is highly subsidized in China and the United States".
The closures of industrial sites will affect thousands of jobs, acknowledged the Minister, assuring us that the government was "fighting" to "try to find private buyers" and, if necessary, "provide the best possible support for employees and the revitalization of sites".
Marc Ferracci referred to the Michelin case, which on Tuesday announced the closure by early 2026 of its Cholet (Maine-et-Loire) and Vannes (Morbihan) sites, employing 1,254 people, due to competition from low-cost Asian tires and rising energy prices in Europe.
Marc Ferracci, who was booed during a visit to Cholet on Friday, said he had expected this type of reaction "because the employees are upset, angry, and we can understand that, because the way the announcement was made to the employees was not a dignified way".
"They were notified very late, Michelin's management didn't come to them to make the announcement live, eye to eye, and that, I think, is regrettable."
"Our commitment, and that of Michelin, is that no one should be left without a solution in this extremely difficult matter," continued Marc Ferracci, assuring that the government wished to "create the conditions for negotiations to be favorable to employees, and in particular for them to be able to find redeployment in the region."
The Industry Minister also called for an emergency plan to support the automotive industry on a European scale, mentioning several avenues such as a continent-wide ecological bonus or a joint loan to finance investments.
(Written by Jean-Stéphane Brosse)
