« Our society has never been so permeable to the bad news that is distilled all day long », began Basil Gertis, the president of the CCI of Var during his greeting ceremony. “ People have doubts and many picture a gloomy future with an economic decline, a loss of values, repeated crises, growing insecurity and conflicts of all kinds… “, he continued.
For the president, for four generations, France is however on an upward curve. According to him, four indicators convince him of this and allow us to put 2023 into perspective in the long term: the level of education, salary, purchasing power and life expectancy.
On the first point, he recalled that in 1950, there were only 5% of baccalaureate holders compared to nearly 80% in 2023 and that only 134,000 people had higher education compared to 2.9 million in 2022. Regarding the median salary in France in 1945, according to him, it was €570 while today it is almost €26,000. What about purchasing power? “ With 1 franc, you could buy a baguette. So what is the progression of our purchasing power since 1945? It is 300%! It has also increased by a third since 1985! “, he demonstrated. Before also explaining that we have gained 21 years of life expectancy.
Financial costs of companies falling according to Basil Gestis
In his capacity as ambassador of the economy, Basil Gertis wanted to reassure his audience about the economic outlook for 2024. According to him, inflation “ will only be 2.5% in 2024 compared to 5.7% in 2023. This drop in inflation, which is beneficial to purchasing power, was induced by the increase in ECB interest rates. Without causing a recession. Interest rates are now trending downward, for periods between 2 and 10 years and the different rates are between 2.7% and 2.9%. We were at 3.6% last October. »
This means for him that the financial costs of companies will decrease. Before urging banks to start lending again to businesses, particularly those in the construction industry: “ The Bank of France’s growth projection is positive with 0.9% expected this year. Just like the purchasing power per capita which continues to increase: 0.8% is expected in 2024. » With an unemployment rate that “ should be relatively stable, increasing by only 3 thousandths in 2024he predicts, it should resume its downward trajectory thanks to the resumption of activity. »
As for the public debt, he predicts that it will stabilize with a reduction in the public deficit of 18 billion euros in 2024.
(Credit: DR) – Many Var residents responded to the wishes of the president of the CCI of Var.
The Var Ambiccions program will be launched this year
The president then moved on to the 2024 program of the CCI, first recalling that the State has entrusted them with six missions: Economic development and support for businesses, professional training and apprenticeship, promotion of trade and tourism , innovation and digital transformation, internationalization of companies, business services and support for their creators.
In 2024, the Var CCI will launch the Var Ambiccions program in February, a series of territorial fairs on ecological transition, tourism, industry, climate risks and a fair dedicated to human resources.
The first Var Ambiccions exhibition will concern female entrepreneurship and will be held on February 6 in Toulon and February 15 in Brignoles. Basil Gertis also wants to found an engineering company serving communities to help them manage ports, airports and car parks.
2024 will also mark, assures the president, the completion of the study concerning the Beausset and Cuges bypasses and the route of the new access road for the Signes industrial zone.
Recalling that the CCI is the first in France, in terms of European projects financed, Basil Gertis repeated his commitment alongside the Toulon Provence Méditerranée Metropolis to strengthen the attractiveness of the commercial port of Toulon, “ while reducing its environmental impact ».
And invited the media to “ remember that with 1.5 million passengers, Toulon is the first link of territorial continuity with Corsica! And hundreds of families make a living from this industry. »
He also wants to invest in training by opening new classes like in Draguignan and Saint-Raphaël to allow young people to train without making long journeys.
2024-02-06 10:43:12
#CCI #Var #Optimistic #wishes #president #Basil #Gertis
