The Editorial

This post is an angry indictment of European and French institutions that have decided to play to their own interests and to the benefit of American supremacy, to the detriment of the collective European interest. But alas, we’re used to this from the European Commission and many of our partners… But this undermining of any chance of building French digital champions is also the product of a number of administrations, politicians or organizations that are supposed to help the development of our business economy, such as the CCI or the CPME…

Are you going to find my remarks or accusations exaggerated? I’ll let you be the judge, and give you some food for thought to back up my position.

Let’s start with the European Commission. These recent events are undoubtedly emblematic, even though the mainstream media has shown little interest in them. On July 10 and 12, two announcements were made by the European Commission, the first concerning the implementation of the Privacy Framework, a mechanism designed to facilitate the exchange of data between the US and the EU (essentially in the direction EU to US…) under the false pretext of adequacy between European and American law. There is a strong suspicion that this agreement, validated by Ursula Von Der Leyen, was for the exclusive benefit of Germany, whose inconsistent energy policy has made it extremely dependent on gas, and that the Ukrainian conflict has made it necessary to find alternatives to Russian gas… Has this been a data agreement between Europeans and American liquefied gas? Many of us think so!

The second event was the aborted attempt to appoint a non-European (in contradiction with the European treaties), or to be more precise, an American who is a fervent lobbyist for the American digital giants, to the post of chief economist at the Competition Delegation! We’re in way over our heads! When we add to this the corruption scandal linked to Qatar and the SMS affair between Ursula Von der Leyen and Pfizer (for a sector outside the scope of the European treaties: health), it raises questions about the way the European Commission, and probably the European Union more broadly, operates and its relationship with democracy… As for the way the European Commission operates, I endorse Mr. Jean-Marie Cavada’s (IDFRights) call for the creation of a commission of inquiry (Video).

On a national level, a number of institutional players are playing against France’s (economic) interests. Several government departments are under the sway of American lobbyists (where does lobbying end and corruption begin?) and the anti-competitive practices of these American digital giants (offering software licenses virtually free of charge!). Practices that should have been sanctioned by the DGCCRF) have enabled schools and colleges, universities, engineering schools and business schools to be equipped with American software. Once you have a captive population accustomed to using your solutions, they naturally become prescriptors for the purchase of your corporate solutions…

What’s even more disturbing is that many CCIs, which are responsible for helping businesses in the trade and industry sectors, exclusively offer training in American solutions, which is iniquitous for several reasons! First of all, it gives the impression that these are the only solutions available, since competing French solutions are not put forward! And it distorts competition by favoring American solutions to the detriment of French digital players (CCI Savoie et Google / CCI les digiteurs). What’s problematic is that many of the decision-makers in these organizations, including a former Secretary of State for Digital Affairs, are acting as a direct conduit for the American digital giants, claiming that #gafam are the best, the most beautiful, and have the most resources, so what’s the point in fighting? This resignation and undermining of all entrepreneurial initiative is, dare I say it, criminal!

Why is it important to promote our French digital players, just as it is important to promote our manufacturers and economic players in all sectors?

First and foremost, it’s to ensure that jobs are created on our territory, and that our know-how isn’t captured by other countries that have understood that we’re in competition, and are even waging economic war on us, like Germany and the United States – but they’re not the only ones!

Secondly, we need to ensure that most of the added value created remains and circulates in our economy, which is good for public finances, thanks to the revenue generated by taxation and social security contributions! The digital giants are engaged in tax optimization on the edge of legality, depriving the French state of tax revenues from activities carried out on our territory…

Ensuring that patents and other intellectual property resulting from innovation in France remain French and do not fall under the yoke of another law (such as American law) that could limit our export possibilities…

It also means finding solutions that are in line with our culture and values, particularly when it comes to protecting our data.

It’s time to mobilize the public. Why? Quite naturally, if all “private” users get into the habit of using and consuming French digital technology, this will also put pressure on all public and private economic players to naturally use these solutions, with a beneficial effect for all of us: it will enable our economy to regain strength, promote balanced budgets and encourage local, skilled employment – a virtuous circle!

Of course, this also applies to all the components of our economy and industry. Advocating French purchasing, validating that the company is indeed French and that the majority of the elements required for its production are made in France, will have a positive influence on our economy, but also on our carbon footprint by avoiding imports of products from the other side of the world! Are you ready to play the game?