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It is late. But, for once, it's not his fault. Whereas in Berlin Tuesday to 18 h 30, Francois Hollande has landed 45 to 19 h. Struck by lightning, the presidential plane was forced to return to land at Villacoublay.

As he arrives on the doorstep of the Chancellery, Angela Merkel is there to greet him. They exchange a handshake. No hug, as did Nicolas Sarkozy in 2007, destabilizing his interlocutor. A little stiff, President novice discovers the protocol: a hand gesture, the Chancellor guide when passing in review the troops. It seeks its mark next to it and lack of hustle on the red carpet.

Just invested as president, Francois Hollande, like its predecessor five years ago, was keen to stress the symbolic importance and challenge of the Franco-German dedicated to Angela Merkel's first visit as head of state. "I did not know her, even if his reputation had long since crossed the border," he said after a meeting of more than an hour before a working dinner.

The Chancellor had not wanted to meet the Socialist candidate in the campaign to mark its defiance vis-à-vis the renegotiation of the budgetary stability pact. The subject was included in the course of the game menu. "I said in the campaign, I repeat again today, I wanted to renegotiate the treaty to include a dimension of growth", said Francois Hollande.

Before his election, he threatened not to ratify the text if it was not amended to include a revival of European growth. Tuesday, he paved the way for a compromise: "The method that we have agreed is to put all ideas, all proposals on the table and then see what are the translations for legal format." Everything has opposed priori attached to the socialist revival and conservative buttressed by fiscal discipline. But, obviously, the head of state does not rob his partner immediately. "We have different approaches to achieve growth, but we will share our ideas to see what are the different ways to stimulate growth," replied the Chancellor. Francois Hollande evoked improving competitiveness and Eurobonds cash advance flexible payments. To reassure the Germans, he said he was concerned about the "seriousness of the budget." But, he said, "it's because I'm for serious budget I am for growth."

Time was not on Tuesday, the settlement of underlying problems that have accumulated. "This meeting was intended to know us better, build a relationship, establish a working method," said the French president. Among the burning questions, the crisis in Greece could not be avoided, in a context where it leaves the euro area is now considered. "The Greeks must know that we will come to them to enable them to secure their place" in the eurozone, Holland assured. "I agree that Greece must remain in the Euro Area", completed Merkel, hoping, for his part, "structural reforms".

Sentenced to agree

The Head of State and the Chancellor will meet on Friday at the G8 summit at Camp David, then, in the process, that of NATO, in Chicago. Above, both meet again May 23 for an informal summit of Heads of State and Government in Brussels European. And in late June, the European Council, "French and Germans will jointly present their ideas for growth in Europe," Merkel promised.

Despite their differences, the new couple Merkel Holland was sentenced to agree. At the edge of its mandate, the French president can not afford to fail on one of its most ambitious promises, the reorientation of the European Union. For his part, Chancellor, one year of law, is obliged to strengthen its position against an opposition Social Democrats who redoubles criticism against the policy of austerity. In the presidential entourage, it is noted that the electoral victory of the SPD in North Rhine-Westphalia on Sunday, depriving Angela Merkel a majority in both Houses of Parliament

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Payday loans online can be risky because of the chance of identity theft. It is important to make sure that any online loan company is legitimate.

 

Otis to participate in its World Cup football 2014 in Brazil. The U.S. company will install in Rio escalators and elevators of the legendary Maracana stadium, refurbished for the occasion. Recently it has also equipped the Burj Dubai Khalifa, the world's highest. And he was chosen to implement its latest generation of products to the Empire State Building in New York.

This series of prestigious contracts is part of a long history for the brand created in the 1850s by Elisha Graves Otis, inventor of the elevator. Since then the company has been incorporated into United Technologies, which has other subsidiaries such as air conditioning specialists Carrier or aircraft engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney.

Otis remains the king of lifts, with 80% of appliances brand in major tours around the globe. What outdo his most serious challenger, the European Schindler, ThyssenKrupp and Kone. "We are the world leader with a market share of around 25%," says Peter Dejoux, president of Northern Europe and Africa at Otis.

Last year, the group continued to race ahead: its revenues ($ 12.4 billion, or 9.6 billion euros) was up 7%, while its profit before tax (2 , $ 8 billion, or 2.2 billion euros) rose by 9%.

400,000 new lifts in China every year

Yet the recent history of Otis is anything but smooth sailing. First, the group has changed its mind. Exit the French Didier Michaud-Daniel, income in the Hexagon head Veritas, the certification specialist. Since mid-February, it was the Spaniard Pedro Baranda is at the helm. In the aftermath, Peter Dejoux took over some of the functions of Bruno Grob, one of the great figures of the company, died suddenly in November 2011. A new management team, while the global landscape of elevators undergoing a profound transformation. "Growth is high (5 to 10%) in emerging countries like China, India and Brazil as the market is spread in France, posting a decline in Southern Europe", illustrates Dejoux Pierre. China, for example, has become the world's largest market for new lifts, with 400,000 units installed each year.

To meet demand, Otis adapt its industrial sites and multiplies in the new El Dorado. The group built an elevator factory in Chongqing, the metropolis of western China, its fourth in the Middle Kingdom. In India, it will triple the capacity of its plant in Bangalore. "We are implementing there partly because these countries are sensitive to what we produced on site, said Peter Dejoux. But, from our factories in China, we serve as the countries of Southeast Asia. "

Moreover, these markets booming, the group has bucked his offer. With Otis brand, it offers high-end products like the Gen2 elevator to consume 60% less energy. But he also established joint ventures with local companies to distribute products from entry level. In India, in Gujarat, it sells brand elevators Trio. Thailand, Indonesia and South Africa, it distributes the references of another elevator manufacturer, Sigma.

In mature markets, the focus is more on maintenance, which often represents nearly 70% of sales. Otis has launched a dozen countries in a service called Elite that can repair elevators and remote … to increase the annual subscription of 200 to 250 euros. Contracts of this type have been subscribed for 80,000 units, a total of 1.8 million elevators maintained by the group in the world.

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Since Friday, the plant Fralib is occupied by its employees. A situation that is denounced by the president of Unilever France, Bruno Witvoët. "This is unacceptable in a constitutional state, says in an interview in Paris-Today-in-France. Such a coup with hooded individuals armed with baseball bats and batons, it is not of union action, it's a commando! ". The boss of Unilever France claiming the expulsion "immediate and prompt action with law enforcement" employees, has also filed a complaint for "physical threats" from the police. "From fabrications," Olivier replied Leberquier, CGT union. According to the police of Aubagne, intervened at the scene, there would have been no collision.

"Holland must keep its promises"

"Closing a plant is always a very difficult decision, Bruno recognizes Witvoët. But in some cases – including tea bags – we have overcapacity. This is justified in stopping this site ". He said Unilever has taken responsibility in the case of employees of Fralib, accepting "to add additional resources for the revitalization of the local employment" as required by justice. "Funds for creating new jobs has increased from 1 to 1.5 million euros" and "each dismissed employee is entitled to an internal transfer, pay the same conditions, in one of six other plants in France , "he said.

This new twist, the 592nd day of the conflict comes as 80 of the 103 employees still struggle, of 182 initially received their letter of dismissal. At the same time, a moving company came to do a quote on the site, and management proposed the CGT to move out of its local business, or in organizing the escorted access, for reasons of safety concerns, dismantling machinery. A scenario rejected by the union, which wants to keep the tool working on site to implement an alternative plan of recovery of activity.

Given this situation, unions are demanding the intervention of Francois Hollande. During the presidential campaign, President-elect said: "Nothing is done, nothing is guaranteed and if victory comes, I will also be at your side, President of the French Republic, to get your site live, had he launched at a meeting of employees Fralib in Paris in February. "The company is now under the control of the CGT and the Netherlands should keep its promises. His election is a ray of hope, "says Olivier Leberquier. The standoff between employees Fralib and its direction is far from over.

 

Note: Nicolas Sarkozy aims to balance public finances in 2016, Francois Hollande in 2017.

Roman Lucazeau, Chargé de Mission in the Business Institute, details the mechanisms at work in the test programs.

THE FIGARO.FR. – Why submit programs of candidates for this test?

Roman Lucazeau. – Although, compared to the 2007 presidential campaign, the programs of the two main candidates are more accurate, they still gray areas and are based on slightly different economic scenarios. This makes comparison difficult. So we tried to apply the same economic variables: growth rate, inflation, unemployment rate, by 2017. We also wanted to discover what happened to the public finances if the programs were implemented with, notably, lower growth than that provided by the candidates, for example, that France has known, on average, over the past decade.

Originally, this type of exercise is applied by the financial authorities to banks. These are subject to economic scenarios degraded to assess their strength in case of economic crisis. We use a similar method to test the ability of candidates to achieve their stated goal (zero deficit in 2016 for Nicolas Sarkozy in 2017 for Francis Holland).

But in a crisis, a candidate can always abandon its initial program

.

Absolutely. We test the strength of their roadmap, as defined during the election campaign, in a worse position than they anticipate. We evaluate today's promises and do not prejudge the future president of the reactions in case of contingencies.

How does this model?

We leave the bases nominee programs (eg growth rate, the level of taxes and public spending …) and against which they built their proposals. These assumptions are public and have been developed by their campaign teams. We determine how the deficit and debt change if we change some parameters on the basis of data and public reporting, the INSEE, the Court of Auditors and of Bercy. The details of our methodology is available on our website.  

How do you ensure objectivity of your approach?

We submitted the candidates' platforms to the same constraints: same inflation, even growth, even drift government spending or health insurance, etc.. The differences between results are explained by the differences between the programs themselves. Debt strategy of the two candidates based on both on growth, tax increases and budget savings. But Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande do not intend to use these levers to the same extent. Their programs do not react the same way a change of parameters.

 

The specter of drought away with the recent rains. But the winter freeze damage to crops are more than expected as and as spring advances. "That damage is exceptionally large, Xavier Beulin regrets, FNSEA President. In total 600,000 hectares of wheat, canola and barley were destroyed by the cold wave of February. "

In a letter to the Minister of Agriculture, FNSEA asks Bruno Le Maire to trigger the emergency procedure in Europe. It provides "the inclusion of force majeure" as "a serious natural disaster affecting a major agricultural area of ​​operation", so that farmers continue to receive their aid.

The green light from Brussels

Payment of these grants is linked to European compliance by the operator of a number of criteria, including stick to crop type notified in advance. This "rotation" is defined in the declaration CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) that meet the farmers every year in May for the crops they will do next season. These conditions are required to receive direct payments. Other aid, indirect, are related to the implementation of certain agri-environmental standards guaranteed unsecured personal loan. The leaders of the FNSEA have already given the green light from Brussels. They now expect the French transposition.

Activation of this procedure will allow farmers, especially those in the north-eastern France, the winter freeze victims, not to be penalized twice: not only by the lower yield of spring planting, but also by a reduction in aid European sanctioning non-compliance of the crop rotation in their declaration CAP. Finally, the recognition of this act of God must allow an advance on anticipated aid on October 16, instead of early December.

Private insurance side, the amount of compensation that will be paid, should amount to some 70 million euros. But all farmers are far from having signed a contract to hedge. Finally, a new wave of freezing took place last week but it has affected this time departments of the central region, penalizing the orchards and vineyards.

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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.

 

While the latest statistics show an automotive market at half mast and some European manufacturers are expressing their concerns, the cars bought in France have never reached such high prices. According to The Argus, which published his 2011 portrait of the average car in France, the average price reached 21,181 euros, against 19,767 eurosen 2010. An increase of 1,414 euros (+12%) in one year!

According to The Argus, this trend is explained by the end of the scrappage scheme. And the French did not hesitate to turn to larger cars. The average vehicle in 2011 in France measure 4.19 meters long, 1.76 wide and 1.54 high. It weighs 1266 pounds and consumes 5 liters of fuel per 100km to 126 grams per kilometer of CO2 released.

The luxury SUVs are popular

The Argus notes and a sharp decline in so-called urban cars (-26%). The family (10%), major roads (37%) and minivans (18%) have however taken advantage of this change in consumption pattern. The SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle), including luxury, are also popular. And the price of the latter increased by an average of € 3660! Overall, the share of cars with less than 15,000 euros in sales in 2011 is 19%, from 15,000 to 25,000 euros, 45%, and more than 25,000 euros, 36%. In 2008 these shares were 24%, 46% and 29%.

The study of the Argus corroborates previously published figures by the Committee of French Automobile Manufacturers (CCFA) and published by Challenges. They reported a price increase of 15% compared to 2010. The average price of new vehicles, all brands, has reached 22,800 euros according to the CCFA. A rise in prices seen in all countries where a grant has been established to support the sector.

But if they are willing to spend more to buy a car, the French did not mean abandoning another means of transport, more environmentally friendly. He would have sold more than 3 million bikes in 2011. A figure up 5.5% over the previous year.

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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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Here the French have six new channels which will be launched next fall on their screens. The Higher Audiovisual Council has indeed make its decision after weeks of suspense: HD1 (TF1), 6TER (M6), L'Equipe TV (Amaury Group), RMC Discovery (NextRadioTV), Cherie HD (NRJ) and diversity come tYou then enrich the current offer of 19 free channels.

The regulator has chosen, through this new offering, to reinforce the historical groups such as TF1 and M6 and strengthen those who made their debut in 2005 in television and are shown in good students, c ' ie groups and NRJ NextRadioTV. This is economic prudence that guided the wise men of the nine Tour Mirabeau in this new spectrum allocation.

But the wireless landscape is also open to new themes and new competition. The Team with HD, the French will be able to access the first sports channel for free. Enough to enable the latter who experienced the greatest difficulties exist in the depths of cable and satellite to survive and not to close shop.

TYou chain diversity is itself the only one not to be owned by a media group. It brings together financiers and businessmen (Xavier Niel, Francois Henri Pinault) seduced by the ideal one to showcase the diversity. The choice of the CSA is easily explained when we know the care that its members and its president Michel Boyon brought about diversity.

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CNP Assurances, the French champion of savings, is preparing to turn a page. That of the fourteen executive Gilles Benoist, whose term expires on June 7, at the general meeting of the group. The board should appoint a successor by then, probably in April.

Both candidates are friends of the house is officially reported to the nominating committee: Antoine Lissowski, CFO of NOC, supported by Gilles Benoist, and Augustin de Romanet, the CEO of the Caisse des Depots, parent company of CNP, which term ends on March 7. Banquy Didier, chief of staff Baroin at Bercy, have also expressed strong interest in a few weeks ago. In parallel, the Presidency of the insurance company will also be renewed. Edmond Alphandery wishes to maintain this position, but it could be countered by projects Michel Bouvard. The current Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Caisse des Depots et de Savoie MP is not standing for parliamentary elections and running for office. The question is whether a parallel appointment of two directors of the Caisse des Depots would be accepted.

Expand distribution

Whatever the identity of the future direction, it must address major challenges. The model of NPC, sitting on a rule of life insurance in France is slowing. In 2011, the turnover of the institution fell by 7.1%, to 30 billion euros, after a year of stagnation in 2010. Savings activities have plunged 13.4%, sealed by the difficulties of life insurance in France and Italy. This decrease was partially offset by an increase in retirement activities (17 payday loans.7%) and pensions (11%). In the end, the institution made a profit, down 17% from 872 million euros, affected by provisions in Greece and financial market volatility. "Most of these shocks has been absorbed by the insured, due to a lower rate of participation in profits", said Gilles Benoist, the Director General. Most life insurance contracts provides that losses as gains in the markets are passed on to policyholders.

Gilles Benoist has already begun a broad effort to diversify business (retirement, pension, loan …) and geographic markets in its group. International operations, excluding France, and the end of 2010 represented 37% of gross operating profit of the company. Today, products of CNP are distributed through the networks of La Banque Postale and the Savings Banks. These trade agreements, completed an equity investment, which run until 2015, can be discussed again this year.

The priority for CNP Assurances is now expanding its distribution channels. The company is therefore exploring the opportunity to partner with a third partner. Several schemes, still very early, are being studied. They would favor, according to our information, the card mutual, with reflections on networks and Groupama Covéa (GMF, Maaf, MMA).

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