The announcement of the possible privatization of the Nice airport, as part of the Macron law on activity and growth, has just been made public and it has provoked an immediate negative reaction from the Mayor of Nice and President of the Metropolis.
Christian Estrosi states very clearly: “I spoke a few days ago with the Minister on the phone and I reaffirmed my position: As I already indicated last August, I do not want us to give away our airport! It is entirely unthinkable that the City of Nice and the State should not remain majority shareholders.”
The motivation behind this choice is somewhat difficult to understand: “The Nice Côte d’Azur airport is a tool for territorial development, at the heart of the National Interest Operation of the Plaine du Var Eco-Valley, in which the community wishes to retain control. I refuse for our airport to become a regional hub for low-cost airlines. Foreign capital should not come to control our airport, as is currently happening at the Toulouse-Blagnac airport, with the offer from Chinese investors to purchase the State’s shareholdings in this airport.”
This explanation is truly curious: A right-wing man, Christian Estrosi is an advocate of a liberal economic model. As a deputy, he has certainly witnessed or voted for the privatization of state-owned companies far more significant than an airport!
Firstly, one wonders about the reason for this opposition to the potential entry of foreign capital when one of the keys to a territory’s attractiveness, sought by everyone worldwide, is precisely foreign investment.
Moreover, as a former Minister of Industry, the Mayor of Nice should be aware of the precise situation of the presence of companies with foreign capital in France. The cases are so many, and some very recent. His remark is truly surprising, and one hopes that his model is not simply autarky!
In any case, if this privatization were to happen, the solution would be simple: Make local authorities deliberate on the purchase at the necessary price.
If this is not the case, it remains to understand the logic behind the negative judgment the Mayor of Nice expressed preventively: Why should an investor (foreign or not) acquire a business to manage it poorly and thus depreciate it when their interest would rather be the opposite for a fair return and enhancement of their investment?
Finally, this episode clearly shows that the path of reforms and budgetary balance is long and arduous.
Everyone vocally demands “less state” and “more liberalism” in the economy and business for greater efficiency. Yet, when we start to act on it, and reducing the public activity perimeter is the first action, cries of astonishment arise!
A commercial airport, regardless of its efficiency, does not represent a strategic part of national policy…
Worldwide, there are privately owned and efficiently managed airports that very well meet the requirements of the territory and passengers: why shouldn’t that be the case in Nice?
