The Palais des Festivals of Cannes was the perfect setting, with its amphitheater and its magnificent terrace offering a magical view of the Croisette and the bay of Cannes, for this event which, beyond the classic style of work meetings, had the characteristics of a festive and convivial gathering.
Perhaps even a bit too much so, considering the care given to style and communication tools rather than content. The content was ultimately reduced to a somewhat ordinary speech (the vision of the future which wishes for France to be both a “beacon” and “prosperous” lacked elaboration: a beacon of what? And prosperous how?) by the national President of Medef, Laurence Parisot, who wanted to share her thoughts regarding the pension reform currently being discussed between the government and social partners.
Naturally, Mrs. Parisot confirmed her stance on the legal retirement age which, according to her, should be postponed to 65 years, justifying her position with figures of a 40 billion euro annual deficit by 2030 and a 100 billion euro annual deficit by 2040 if the situation remains unchanged from the current one. As we are not aware of the source of this estimation, we can only take note of these statements without commenting on them.
On the other hand, we can define as rather simplistic the considerations of the President of Medef regarding her analysis of the economic and financial crisis since 2008. Simply stating that it is “due to the fault of the United States and the lack of regulation” and confusing liberalism (which is an economic concept) with liberalism (which pertains to ideological thinking) indicates a certain approximation on highly complex subjects that required a more structured intervention. That said, we were able to appreciate the work and enthusiasm of the new team that will accompany President Yvon Grosso for the next three years with three main objectives: the attractiveness of the territory, the competitiveness of companies, and the efficiency of human resources.
Two flagship projects were also highlighted with:
– The creation of a “City of Entrepreneurs” which would allow resources to be pooled in one place for small professional unions (for example, by equipping them with the technical means to communicate more easily with regional authorities to adapt to the new territorial organization)
– The implementation of the Training Institute for Mandatories in order to prepare business leaders for their roles as mandatories, currently numbering 550.
Here is thus a UPE06 ready for the next term with its new president and its statutory bureau composed of 17 people who do not lack ambition, wishing to fully play the role of essential players in economic, social (and even political) life in the Alpes-Maritimes.
UPE06 is:
– 22 unions
– 10,000 member companies
– of which 95% have fewer than 10 people and 1% have more than 50 people
14 committees (operational, sectoral, thematic)
5 vice-presidents of economic basins
