The French government has prepared plans to support the aviation and automotive industries, which have been heavily affected by the coronavirus pandemic, Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire told French media on Monday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th May, 2020) The French government has prepared plans to support the aviation and automotive industries, which have been heavily affected by the coronavirus pandemic, Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire told French media on Monday.
"I will announce a plan to support the automotive sector within 15 days to relaunch car buying," the minister told the France Info broadcaster, adding that the coronavirus crisis was a good opportunity to accelerate the energy transition within the industry.
Notably, the government is already preparing a 5 billion euro ($5.41 billion) emergency loan for carmaker Renault, which was hit hard by the pandemic. The state owns 15 percent of the company.
The minister also promised an aid plan for the aviation industry, which was also among those most affected by the two-month lockdown.
"By July 1, we will announce a plan to support the aviation sector and create hundreds of thousands of jobs, particularly in Toulouse," Le Maire said.
On May 11, France began gradually easing the coronavirus-related restrictions to limit the economic damage. As of Monday, the French authorities have confirmed 179,693 COVID-19 cases, the seventh-highest total in the world, with 28,111 related fatalities.
