Making France Succeed – Jacques Attali and Julie Martinez

Jacques Attali, a graduate of the École Polytechnique, former special advisor to François Mitterrand, founder of four international institutions, and Julie Martinez, a lawyer at Baker McKenzie and the book’s general rapporteur, shared their vision for the future of France with us. Ready to discover how everyone can contribute to making France succeed?

The lack of trust: a major challenge

Jacques Attali began by highlighting a troubling statistic: 86% of French people are afraid of falling into poverty, compared to 50-55% in Italy, 65% in Germany, and 43% in Sweden. “The average standard of living for the French is so high that we may fear a decline more than an advance,” he explains.

This fear is fueled by structural signals showing that France is struggling. “Our external deficit is a particularly serious sign of extreme danger for French society,” Jacques warns. France is the only major European country with an external deficit; even Italy, long considered the “problem child,” has a trade surplus.

The life economy versus the death economy

Jacques Attali developed a key concept: the life economy versus the death economy. The death economy includes sectors closely or distantly related to fossil fuels, artificial sugar, and everything that causes death, obesity, or danger. The life economy is everything related to health, education, digital technology, non-greenhouse gas-producing energies, culture, research, innovation, finance, and, of course, commercial action.

“We must mobilize French society toward a transfer of its activities—which represent 60% of GDP—from the death economy to the life economy,” Jacques explains. This industrial transformation is absolutely major and requires many reforms: a real Ministry of Industry, a life economy bank, and life economy investment products.

Digital technology: an opportunity for France

Julie Martinez emphasized that “France’s operational superiority in technology can only be achieved if we embrace the technological game-changers of the digital revolution.” She specifically mentions artificial intelligence, robotics, and computer vision.

“To be honest, this already started to be taken into account during the previous five-year term, but it must be massively reinforced in the coming years,” she specifies. She proposes strengthening public-private partnerships, making public researchers available to companies, and creating technology laboratories led by major French universities.

Ecological taxation: a tool for transformation

Jacques Attali addressed the issue of ecological taxation, which must be “managed with great caution,” as seen with the Yellow Vests. He proposes creating the conditions for “a real European carbon tax” and a European right to border protection to ensure an increasingly high carbon price, as it is currently far too low.

The role of the company in transformation

Julie Martinez insists that “the ecological transition can never take place without companies or against them; it must truly take place with companies.” She proposes a “skills insurance” that would allow both employees and business leaders to reorganize and provide financial support when the transition is significant, facilitating this shift toward growth sectors.

“It’s truly a question of governance,” she emphasizes. “If these issues are not addressed at the highest level of society, it won’t work; it won’t move forward.” This involves environmental reforms, but also integration, inclusion, the fight against discrimination, and equal pay.

The positive economy: measuring to progress

Jacques Attali presented the concept of the positive economy, developed by the Positive Planet Foundation. It is a society that works in the interest of future generations. The Positive Economy Institute measures the positivity of companies across four dimensions: economic, social, environmental, and ethical.

“It is necessary that this taxonomy of positivity—this accounting measure of positivity—serves as a guiding criterion for both consumers and financiers,” Jacques explains. It’s not about being positive, but about making the necessary efforts to become so.

The 2030 plan: a long-term vision

Jacques Attali emphasized the importance for every company to adopt a 2030 plan. “Does each of you, every company represented among those listening to us, have a 2030 plan?” he asks. “For those who have children, 2030 is tomorrow morning.”

Julie Martinez adds: “The most important thing for companies, I think, is to have a direction, a real long-term project—offering a ten, twenty, or thirty-year vision so they know exactly which sector to pivot to if necessary.”

Personal commitment: everyone is an actor for change

Jacques Attali concludes with a powerful message: “We are all players in the match, not spectators. The future of France is not limited to the choice of a temporary king or queen.” Everyone must have a 2030 plan for themselves, their family, their community, and the company they work for.

“If we don’t do anything truly major, France will be in a very bad way,” Jacques warns. “By 2027, if we do nothing, France will be in a tragic situation.” But the ball is not just in the hands of a future president; it is in the hands of everyone listening today.

In a nutshell…

Here are the key takeaways from this Masterclass:

• Understand the urgency of the situation: The French external deficit is a particularly serious sign that requires immediate and structured action.
• Pivot toward the life economy: 60% of GDP must be transferred from the death economy to the life economy, with a real long-term industrial plan.
• Invest massively in digital technology: Strengthen public-private partnerships and create the conditions for French technological superiority.
• Measure company positivity: Use the four dimensions (economic, social, environmental, ethical) to guide consumer and financial decisions.
• Adopt a 2030 plan: Every company and individual must have a long-term vision to contribute to making France succeed.
• Act at the corporate level: The ecological transition must happen with companies, not against them, and requires real governance at the highest level.

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