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"If I am elected, I do not gèlerai, but I stoop down the salary of the president and ministers of 30%." By November 2011, Francois Hollande had made the campaign promise very symbolic, while Nicolas Sarkozy marked the spirits in increase of 172% net salary (of 7,084 to 19,331 euros) on arrival at the Elysee. Invited on France 2 on Wednesday night, the new prime minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, announced that this commitment would be the first of his government. Hardly installed at Matignon, he will propose a 30% drop in the wages of members of government from the first cabinet meeting on Thursday afternoon. "This is exemplary," said he explained. This measure will be a decree, he said.

The gross monthly salary of Ministers will be up to 14,200 euros per month, to 9,940 euros. That of the Prime Minister will also be trimmed from 21,200 euros to 14,840 euros gross. Like, finally, the compensation of the President of the Republic. With a plane that has a surprising consequence. Ex-Ministers continue to earn more than their successors for another six months. Indeed, each team member Francois Fillon retain his salary during this period. A privilege granted to all former ministers, who lose their theory, however, other benefits.

Largest decline in Europe

If they come later than in other European countries, this decline in compensation of government is by far the strongest. One of the first to take this measure, as he tried to impose on his country a vast austerity plan, was the Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen. From 2009, he had reduced his salary and that of his ministers by 15%. In the process, in May 2010, Spain followed the movement by announcing a 15% reduction of salaries of its ministers. In the UK, the British prime minister, David Cameron, newly installed in power, his ministers imposed a 5% decrease in their pay. A dry diet made subsequently by Italy and Portugal, among others.

In Europe a constraint to fiscal Germany still appears a prosperous island. While the German economy grew by 2% annual rate in the first quarter, Angela Merkel and her ministers were granted for the first time in twelve years an increase of wages. The Cabinet decided on Wednesday to a 5.7% increase in three stages by August 2013, bringing the salary of Angela Merkel to about 17,016 euros gross per month and those of his ministers to about 13,795 euros.  

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The figures published on Wednesday trade deficits German and French offers a shortcut striking about the strengths and weaknesses of the two economies. German exports hit a record in March. They rose 0.9% on month and rise to 98.9 billion euros, thanks to the success of products across the Rhine outside the euro zone. Its trade surplus amounted to 17.4 billion euros, up 16.8%. "A further sign of a healthy German economy despite the crisis in the euro area", decrypts Wirschke Constantine, an economist at Natixis.

If, at the same time, France has reduced its trade deficit of almost 500 million euros to 5.7 billion euros, it hides a global slowdown in trade. Clearly, exports fell twice as fast as imports. The first fell to 558 million euros, to 36.491 billion, when the second fell by 1.1 billion euros to 42.212 billion on March.

"The decline is more pronounced for imports after the substantial purchases energy (oil, gas) caused by the February cold snap, so the trade deficit is reduced, 'the Customs. Apart from lower petroleum products, purchases of industrial products decreased, which could reflect a slowdown in France, as the perceived leading economic index for April.

For their part, "exports of manufacturing industries are marking time, after their sharp increase earlier this year," are Customs. Computer sectors, including automotive and aerospace have been less successful in other countries.  

The good health of the German economy, however, allowed the industry to limit the hexagonal case. In March, Germany has indeed set a record for imports as well (78.1 billion euros over the month, up 1.2%) whose French exports have benefited. Particularly in the industrial machinery sector.

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This is the latest idea to exonerate Blédina moms give their babies prepared foods. The subsidiary of Danone, France's leading infant nutrition market with 48.6% (against 23.4% for Nestle), will launch next month the first cooked dishes, compotes and other small pots sold in the fresh. Dubbed Blédina Day, this range of twenty-seven references (savory dishes, desserts …) is for toddlers from 4 to 12 months.

It took three years to Blédina and more than 10 million investment to develop these products, manufactured at its plant in Brive (Corrèze). Their launch, first in the large hypermarkets and Monoprix in Paris, will run until 2013. If successful, Europe is already in sight.

Fifty years after inventing the small glass jar, Blédina intends to revolutionize the consumption patterns. The company even provided dedicated refrigerators to hypermarkets, which will be placed in the middle of the radius baby. "We want to find moms who have moved away from these products because of the taste and rally those who have never been consumers with products that are as close as possible to the home-made," says Didier Lamblin, who took the Blédina reins last September. Approximately 30% of mothers are still reluctant to provide any dishes made with their babies and prefer them to concoct a homemade mashed potatoes. In total, more than half of the consumption of children aged 0 to 3 years which is made of non-specific products.

Revive the category

So, even if the French babies are the first consumers in the world of small pots and other dishes cooked (115 kg per year per child), tied with the English, partly because of prior trademarks and the number of active women, the growth potential remains high no fax pay day loan. This market, which weighs 1.2 billion euros (including 85% in supermarkets), has been stagnant for three years after experiencing an average growth of 6 to 7% from 2001 to 2008. He even saw its volumes fall by 3% over the last six months. "We have never experienced such a decline in this market," says Didier Lamblin, which reflects the constraints of purchasing power of French households. The purchase of small pots and other dishes (48% market share) has been most impacted by the economic environment than baby milk (52% market share), considered essential.

There was therefore urgent to revitalize the category. Especially as Nestlé, challenger in France, put the package last year to revive its brand NaturNes. Which enabled him to win a point of market share. "We are optimistic that growth will be as fresh to the radius of up to 25% of the category," said Didier Lamblin.

To convince moms, Blédina has chosen to focus on the naturalness, the culinary virtues and taste. On white background, packaging puts forward the product recipe and origin 100% French ingredients. Blédina also preferred product availability, crisis requires (from 1.69 euro to 3.70 euro reference).  

Another initiative at Danone, Gallia will launch its brand by the end of an economy size baby milk in the form of a bag-in-Box, for the most modest budgets.

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Francois Hollande said today he hoped the French savings could be more "mobilized" to fund a portion of the debt, provided that the loan terms are more favorable for the country.

"I have an idea that the savings of French, which is very high (17% of our revenues are spared), can be mobilized for industry, housing and also for debt" , he said, asked about this during the "Grand Journal" on Canal +. His speech was recorded earlier in the day, due to the evening meeting in Bordeaux. "So that, the more you borrow from the French, the less you borrow from the markets," he said.

Run government bonds

When asked, "will launch on government bonds to individuals?", He replied: "I think about it. It already exists. What was formerly called T-bills, large bonds. The more we borrow in our own markets with the savings of French, it is less dependent on investment funds credit report. "" You will do it more consistently? "He replied," More systematic, yes. "….. …

Asked about the fact whether he had decided, he said: "Yes, actually. Then you have to see the conditions. It has to be a rate that is not greater than the market. Not worth paying a debt even more expensive if purchased by the French. "

In June 2009, President Nicolas Sarkozy had wanted to launch a new loan with the French. There were abandoned because the cost of a public offering would have been much higher than going market. The initiative of Nicolas Sarkozy was the first such operation in France since the famous "borrowing Balladur" in 1993.

At the end of 2011, 65.4% of negotiable government debt (in the form of securities) were held by non-residents, and 34.6% of French residents, according to data from the Agency France Trésor, which manages the French debt.

The confrontation was not as strong in the government of Angela Merkel since the controversial reform of the Bundeswehr. The center-right coalition headed by Chancellor, is torn for weeks about family policy. The bill providing for the introduction of a bonus for parents raising their children at home instead of placing them in a nursery or kindergarten, the Betreuungsgeld, causing great controversy across the Rhine. His critics believe that this will discourage women seeking to balance motherhood and work, when the German labor market already sorely lacking manpower.

The draft Betreuungsgeld is supported by the Conservative party leadership Merkel (CDU) and its Bavarian ally, the CSU, a stickler for traditional family values. In Bavaria, the tradition of the "three Ks" (Kinder, Küche, Kirche – "children, kitchen, church") continues to weigh heavily on women. The grant, which should be between 100 and 150 euros per child under 3's home, is supposed to be passed before the summer for implementation in January 2013. The Conservatives say they want to do and "evidence of heart." "The premium will be adopted and no concessions," warns Christine Haderthauer, Social Affairs Minister of Bavaria.

"Prime the stove"

But critics of the project are growing within the CDU and liberal allies in Merkel, who threaten to vote against it in the Bundestag. Philipp Rösler, deputy chancellor and patron of the Free Democrats, believes that "the objective of facilitating the reconciliation of family and professional life" is threatened by the grant. Unions and management are, in unison, standing against the wind project called the "premium in the kitchen." Dieter Hundt, president of BDA, the German employers, claiming "the abandonment of this project fundamentally harmful."

They see it as a barrier to women entering the labor market, a crucial issue for Germany. The premium would encourage mothers to stay home for years to keep their children, jeopardizing their chances of finding employment. The birth rate is already reflected in an acute shortage of manpower across the Rhine. Federation of Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) estimates the loss of 400,000 skilled workers annually. By 2030, the German working population is projected to decline by a quarter, he predicts. Immigration, but also working women are supposed to compensate. Difficulties in reconciling the birth of a child and continue to work stopping the fertility rate across the Rhine, with 1.3 children per woman is one of the lowest in the EU.

Opponents of the project also felt that the premium balance of harms children by delaying their adaptation to life in society, and the chances of the poor, whose awakening would be delayed.

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The call to strike by three unions (CGT, CFDT and UNSA) air traffic controllers will cancel and delay several flights to Orly and some regional airports. At Air France, which opened two new bases Sunday in Toulouse and Nice, we ensure that customers affected by these disturbances have already been informed by SMS or e-mail. "All flight information is available the day before departure and updates in real time" on the website or via smartphone applications. The company says that there will be no cancellation of your from Roissy-Charles de Gaulle, otherwise some delays.

For its part, easyJet has already canceled 16 flights Monday to departure or arrival airport Orly and advises all passengers to "check the status of their flights regularly." In all, the airlines had to remove 20% of their flights on Mondays and Tuesdays departing or arriving at Orly need a personal loan with bad credit.

Eighteen flights have already been canceled at Lyon Saint-Exupery. These flights come from or go to Marseille, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Pau and Metz.

The unions called the strike to oppose a plan to restructure air traffic control services in the provinces, which would imply a decline in numbers. Air traffic controllers, agents of the public service, have an obligation to provide minimum services. However, if the strike notice is required, the strikers did not have to declare individually 48 hours in advance, as is the case for railway or recently for pilots and stewards.

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A first in the presidential campaign. Seven of the ten candidates have succeeded on Thursday on the same stage: that of the 66th Congress of the FNSEA in Montpellier (Hérault). Only the far left was missing, including Jean-Luc Melenchon.

All candidates have outlined three major challenges. First, that of the environment, including the management of water, while the French countryside lack of rain for the second consecutive year. Nicolas Sarkozy promised a simplification of administrative authorizations: "It is enough of a preliminary statement" to build dams for irrigation of crops, "up to 350,000 m3." Other candidates have called for better water management. "We're going to crises increasingly frequent and difficult," warned François Bayrou. Also on the environmental component, Francois Hollande has put forward the alternative energy sources. "Biogas, biofuel, biomass, these are new sources of energy and new income for farmers, said the PS candidate. We must share these investments. We will adopt a tax incentive. "

Secondly, virtually consensual: the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). "I welcome the positive signs that the new CAP takes with keeping its budget. Aids represent fair compensation for the farmer to a policy of low prices to the consumer ", ruled Francois Bayrou. Marine Le Pen is the only advocate a judgment of the CAP in favor of a "PAF" (French agricultural policy), that is to say a re-nationalization of aid. "I am here to defend the interests of French gardeners and French consumers. I do not want a Europe which includes agricultural servant of the WTO, "warned the leading frontist. The sovereigntist Nicolas Dupont-Aignan demanded "firm renegotiation of the CAP because we pay $ 7 billion more to the EU budget that we receive."

Reduction in the hourly cost

Finally, the third item listed, competitiveness. France is now the third largest in Europe in trade of agricultural and food products, behind Germany and the Netherlands. "There must be logical and contractual solidarity, to be more competitive. This will be the sense of public investment bank that will support the development of SMEs in the food industry, pleaded Francois Hollande. We will develop a collective and not individual contract between farmers and manufacturers, allowing visibility of volumes but also the prices. "

Nicolas Sarkozy has defended his hand down the cost schedule adopted under his five-year seasonal and the permanent employees that will result from the social VAT. "97% of agricultural workers are covered by a 5.4% decrease in payroll taxes," he repeated. As for the little candidate Jacques Cheminade, which boasts a history of commercial counselor of France in New York, he is committed to "put innovation and research at the center of the debate on agriculture to meet the challenge of 2050, that of feeding 9 billion of men. "

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The Brazilian soccer prodigy Neymar refusing to go play in Europe because of polar climate: the scene portrayed in a TV spot for a soda, ready to smile. Reference is however not trivial, the young striker of 20 years who recently refused the advances of the most prestigious clubs in Europe (Barcelona, ​​Madrid, Chelsea …) to extend his contract with the club FC Santos. With a monthly salary of 650,000 euros, the star player is the same salary level as many European stars. With an annual growth rate averaging 4.9% through 2015, according to PwC, Latin America has indeed a market for structured sport and motor globally.

Sign of the rise of emerging countries (the so-called Brics), Rio de Janeiro will host the 2014 Soccer World Cup and the Summer Olympics in 2016. A doubled as successful as the Russian city of Sochi (2014 Winter Olympics and football World Cup in 2018). "All countries do not organize these international shows for the same reasons, explains Matthieu Aubusson PwC. Many, like Qatar or China, do so for reasons of image, not in order to establish a sustainable economy of sport at national level. Besides, there are local markets in its infancy, with the gradual structuring is a major focus of development for the sports business world. "Like India, who bet on the cricket. And Brazil, which created a strong market for football within its borders, capable of retaining its stars and attract brands.

But this virtuous circle is still fragile. "Failure of broadcasting rights and the increased risk of" ambush marketing "(a combination undue brand to an event, Ed) can slow market growth in these areas, said Fabrice Lorvo, specialist sports marketing for FTPA. By directly touching the sponsors, they are fleeing the market. "No problem for major events such as the World Cup or the Olympics. But the regional championships or events will continue their efforts to retain players in the sector, "which invest in proportion to the broadcast media," says Fabrice Lorvo. African Cup of Nations (CAN), with 3 to 4 billion cumulative viewers and 35 million euros of revenues earned in 2012 by the organizing committee (COCAN), looks set to meet this challenge.

In France too, the sector is doing well

12.8%: the growth in the French sports business estimated by PwC who will publish these figures on Thursday morning at Sporsora foundation. "The yo-yo effect of this industry is very strong, warns Mathieu Aubusson, because even years are marked by the organization of major sporting events which boost sponsorship contracts, rights TVs and ticket sales . "Despite this distortion, the average annual growth sector in the Hexagon will reach 3.7% to $ 5.5 billion in 2015, reflecting the appetite of brands for sponsorship (5, 2%). Proceeds from ticket should then take over from 2016, while France will host the Euro 2016 football stadia refurbished.

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The joint complaint of the United States, Europe and Japan against China is not surprising. The World Trade Organization (WTO) has already ruled illegal last summer, Beijing's restrictions on exports of commodities in general. And China's argument that its quota of "rare earths" are intended to "protect the environment and achieving sustainable development" is not fooling anyone.

China, which recorded a trade deficit in February to $ 31.5 billion, supports its industry through subsidies and by keeping its currency, the yuan, at a deliberately undervalued. But at a time when the "Buy European Act", like the "Buy American Act", is invited in the French election campaign, there are concerns of a revival of protectionism in the world.

If one believes the Swiss NGO Global Trade Alert, trade tensions are "at their highest level since the Lehman crisis in 2009" and, since July 2011, "protectionist measures exceeded those due to liberalization three for ". In its latest report on trade barriers, Brussels estimates that European companies "have suffered from a revival of protectionism, especially in emerging countries."

This revival is not just Asia. In Brazil, where growth fell from 7.5% in 2010 to 2.7% last year, the Minister of Finance decided a 30% increase taxes on imported vehicles whose parts are not at 65 % at least "made in Mercosur" (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela) payday loans. The National Confederation of Industry of this country calls for new support measures.

Asia and Latin America in mind

Pretext not to disrupt the balance of payments, while its access to capital markets remains limited, Argentina imposed a series of restrictions "informal" imports: Porsche had to commit to buying wine and oil Argentine olive to bring a hundred cars, and BlackBerry has opened a plant in Tierra del Fuego to continue to sell its mobile phones. More generally, the Mercosur countries have agreed to increase their taxes, up to 35% on all products imported from outside of their block.

At the last WTO ministerial conference in December, its director general, Pascal Lamy, noted that the number of protectionist measures worldwide had increased from 220 in 2010 to 340 in 2011. China has two logical write two MEPs in a recent report: "the temptation of protectionism that conditioning access to its domestic industry to put its head in all new waves of technology (…) and that of the universalist ambitions of foreign market access. "

Certainly, calculates the WTO anti-dumping investigations declined from 213 in 2008 to 153 in 2011. But any return to protectionism today would cost $ 800 billion into the global economy, she warns.

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