Hollande: France aims to become gateway for Europe after Brexit vote

Britain’s decision to leave the European Union (EU) provides France with an opportunity to attract further foreign investment and to become the “gateway for Europe”, believes French president François Hollande.
Speaking at Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), following the announcement of a €1.4bn investment by Federal Express (FedEx) at the French hub, Hollande said that the British must live with the consequences of their referendum decision to quit the EU.
In a translated version of his speech, Hollande added: “This is an opportunity for France to attract further foreign investment and to become the gateway for Europe.”
FedEx will spend a total of €1.4bn, including an investment of €200m in a new facility and a 30-year lease, on the hub.
The investment will involve the creation of a new sorting facility that will open in 2019, with construction due to get underway in summer next year, and will create as many as 400 jobs.
Hollande, in a 15 minute address within the FedEx hub, called the deal “significant” for CDG and France, saying that it highlighted the country’s opportunity as “a target for foreign investment”.
He said that foreign direct investment in France during 2015 was larger than in the UK and Germany combined, including €3.5bn from China, with 1,000 major companies creating 35,000 jobs.
In what was a veiled reference to Britain, which is still struggling with a decision on whether to approve extra runway capacity at either Heathrow or Gatwick, Hollande said that the “requirements of logistics” were a top priority for the French government.
Again, with coded language, Hollande said that democracies had to choose between “being open to the outside world or to close in upon itself,” and between being “strong and confident” or “afraid of the world”.
In a rhetorical flourish, Hollande said that some in France asked the question: “Why do you invest abroad?”
The president answered: “This creates new trade, facilitating both exports and imports, as well as new jobs in the country.”
Hollande had heard earlier from David Bronczek, president and chief executive FedEx Express, who called France and FedEx “a perfect marriage,” and of the new “network age” that brings together digital and physical networks “connecting, countries, companies and individuals”.
Bronczek added that the growth of e-commerce “would be good for France and the continent” and that the choice of CDG for further investment would make deliveries “faster”.
He concluded:  ”I love CDG and I love France.”