Industrialization, Agriculture and Jobs: Macron Praises the “Fight for Independence” of France
Industrialization, agriculture, and employment: Emmanuel Macron praised the “fight for independence” of France on Monday by laying the first stone of a future site for a geotextile factory in Ariège, before donning his co-prince of Andorra attire for a two-day visit to the micro-state, where the delicate question of abortion will be addressed.
“In two years, we will enter an industrial stage that will completely change the territory, and I believe a lot in it,” he said at Occitanie Geotex in Laroque-d’Olmes (Ariège), which will manufacture geotextiles for construction, roads, or agriculture using plant fibers of hemp and wool produced in the region.
Industrialization Plan
This 30 million euro project will create 40 direct jobs and more than 120 indirect jobs, according to the Elysée. The factory will be built on the site of a former textile company that employed nearly a thousand workers at the peak of its activity.
“The battle for industry and industrialization, the transformation of our agriculture facing the challenge of water in the region, sovereignty… are compatible,” he emphasized. Macron has made the independence of France and Europe one of the guiding principles of his final year in office and his tenure since coming to Elysée in 2017.
Last week in Allier, he presented an industrialization plan focused on 150 strategic projects, drawing on the example of the reconstruction of Notre-Dame cathedral in terms of simplification and speeding up procedures. The president then visited the Lavelanet hospital to discuss the fight against medical deserts.
Emmanuel Macron sharing the functions of co-prince of Andorra with the Catholic bishop of the border town of Urgell, Spain. Photo Sipa/AP/Michael Varaklas
Emmanuel Macron will then head to Andorra la Vella, where he is expected to stay until Tuesday. Under a centuries-old system, the French head of state shares the functions of co-prince of Andorra with the Catholic bishop of the Spanish border town of Urgell, currently Mgr Josep-Lluis Serrano Pentinat. And tradition, established by Charles de Gaulle, dictates that each president visits during their term. Emmanuel Macron did so in 2019, during his first term.
Abortion in the Spotlight of the Andorra Visit
He had previously addressed abortion. The principality, nestled between France and Spain, is the only state in Europe, along with the Vatican, to completely ban voluntary termination of pregnancy, even in cases of rape, incest, danger to the mother, or fetal illness. Abortion is punishable by prison for women and doctors who perform it, even if there have never been any lawsuits.
The head of the Andorran government, Xavier Espot Zamora, said at the end of March he hopes to decriminalize abortion within a year without legalizing it. The unique governance structure of the principality makes the issue particularly thorny because any progress requires negotiations with the Holy See.
If abortion remains illegal, it is “not because the Andorran government or Andorran society is more conservative than in France or Spain” but because “one of our heads of state is a bishop,” explained Xavier Espot Zamora. Emmanuel Macron is expected to address the issue during an address to the Andorran population.
Ecological Transition and Cooperation on the Agenda
France became the first country in 2024 to enshrine the right to abortion in its Constitution. Emmanuel Macron “has always defended women’s right to control their bodies,” and “one cannot imagine (him) not addressing this issue,” according to the French presidency. Additionally, the association agreement with the European Union, yet to be approved, will be a major theme of the trip.
Emmanuel Macron will “clearly encourage” Andorra towards this approval, according to the president’s entourage. The text will need to be put to a referendum in the country. The principality, with an area less than twice that of Marseille, is known for its ski slopes and advantageous tax system. However, it left the OECD list of tax havens in 2010 and has since implemented moderate taxes, albeit much lower than the EU average.
Emmanuel Macron also plans to address the issue of ecological transition during a visit to an Andorran hydropower plant in which EDF intends to invest. He will visit two schools, an Andorran school and the French high school Comte de Foix, and tour the sanctuary of Meritxell. He will also receive the Cross of the Seven Arms, the highest decoration of the principality.
