THE STATE & REGIONS MOBILIZED FOR A COORDINATED RESPONSE TO THE ECONOMIC IMPACT

USPA NEWS - The regional presidents and the Minister of Economy and Finance met on Thursday 5 March in Bercy to take stock of the economic impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic. They examined the actions that the State and the Regions, responsible for economic development in the territories, can quickly implement in a concerted manner, as a complement to the national tax and social measures announced this week by the Minister. Faced with the brutal economic shock which threatens our country due to the health crisis, the Minister and the Presidents of the Regions have agreed on the urgency of strengthening their exchange of information and the coordination of their interventions in the coming days.

This economic coordination of the State and the Regions, in line with the constructive dialogue initiated for more than a year between the Regions and the Ministry of the Economy and Finance, is more than ever an imperative necessity of which all the actors have consciousness. This coordination aims to be part of the new State-Regions Economic Council, set up in December 2019 between the partners. SUPPORT ADAPTED TO IMPACTED TO IMPACTED BUSINESSES---------------------------------------------------------------- The Minister of Economy, Bruno Lemaire, and the Presidents of the Regions have concretely agreed to strengthen the sharing of their information, to identify and coordinate all the means at their disposal to respond to the concerns of our fellow citizens, to ensure maximum continuity of economic activity and to provide adapted support, as close as possible to the territories, to the companies and sectors most affected. The State and the Regions are thus committed to: Set up a State-Region-Bpifrance task force at the regional level to ensure close monitoring of the situation and accelerate measures to support companies' cash flow (alleviation of the conditions of access to the guarantee of cash loans), in collaboration with all the players in the banking sector and major clients (subcontracting) who also have a major role to play in this situation. Facilitate the recognition of force majeure in public procurement and, for the sake of solidarity, not to apply penalties to companies faced with supply difficulties and continuity of their activities effectively attributable to the Covid epidemic- 19. Organize feedback from the Regional Councils on the difficulties encountered by businesses and sectors, by activating all of the regional relays (economic development agencies, consular networks, Regional Tourism Committee, competitiveness clusters, etc.). Cooperate on the dissemination and deployment of good practices to ensure the continuity of economic activity and prevent any general blockage of the country (telework, telemedicine, distance education), in the event of a worsening health crisis. The Minister and the representatives of the Regions agreed to meet regularly, and as long as we have not collectively overcome this major crisis, and to meet again before 15 days for a further update. Source : Region ile de France