France tightens restrictions on non-EU foreign ventures

Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire stated on Wednesday that the France administration will tighten controls on foreign direct investments to protect French companies over strategic industries and bio-tech groups.

At present, non-European purchases of stakes in large companies do not need approval from the government if it’s 25% or less.

Le Maire announced a lowering of the threshold of foreign investments in big companies up to 10 percent until the end of 2020.

“In this period of crisis, some companies are vulnerable, some technologies are fragile and could be bought by foreign competitors at a low cost. I won’t let it happen,” Le Maire stated in an interview with LCI television on Wednesday.

France had already tightened restrictions and lowered the shareholding threshold from 33% to 25% at the start of the year.