Business

Representatives of major parties in the upcoming snap French legislative elections have pitched their economic plans at a meeting of France's top employers' federation, with the leftist New Popular Front coalition and the far-right National Rally delivering starkly different visions. FRANCE 24's Bryan Quinn takes a closer look.

The European Commission has recommended disciplinary action against France, as well as Belgium, Italy, Hungary, Malta, Slovakia and Poland, for running excessive budget deficits.
The EU's Maastricht treaty requires member states to keep public debt below 60 percent and deficits below 3 percent of GDP. Plus, Nvidia has overtaken Microsoft to become the world's most valuable company, with $3.3 trillion in market capitalisation. 

As French carmaker Citroën launches a new compact SUV, FRANCE 24 speaks to its CEO. Thierry Koskas, who has been at the helm of the Stellantis-owned brand since March 2023, tells us about competition on the European market, and how his firm didn't take into account any duties imposed on Chinese electric vehicles when developing its latest electric models. He also comments on the difficulties the company is facing in organising a massive recall of cars with faulty airbags.

Boeing's CEO David Calhoun has testified at a US Senate subcommittee investigating the planemaker's "broken safety culture". Relatives of some of the 346 victims of two fatal crashes involving the Boeing 737 MAX also attended the hearing and heard the CEO directly apologise to them, while the panel grilled him about his plans to fix Boeing's manufacturing problems. FRANCE 24's Yuka Royer speaks to aviation and tourism expert Anita Mendiratta about the importance of whistleblowers. 

France's leading CAC 40 stock index made small gains at the open this Tuesday after suffering its worst week of trading since March 2022. As FRANCE 24's Bryan Quinn explains, the fallout from President Emmanuel Macron's decision to call snap elections continues to be felt across the country's business landscape, with many companies holding off on big decisions until after the polls. Also in this edition, Toyota's shareholders vote to keep Akio Toyoda as chairman despite a certification fraud scandal.

Generation Z desperately want to be eco-friendly and to work for a company with good climate credentials. But a new survey by LinkedIn has found that only one in 20 GenZers have the "green skills" needed to tackle the climate crisis. FRANCE 24's Yuka Royer speaks to Sue Duke, LinkedIn's Head of Global Public Policy, about the social network's latest findings. 

Chinese Premier Li Qiang visits Australia seeking to repair relations after a diplomatic spat between the two countries triggered punitive tariffs. While in Australia, he will visit a Chinese-controlled lithium processing plant, as Beijing eyes more investment in critical minerals. Also in this edition: Muslim pilgrims fill Saudi Arabia as the kingdom tries to boost tourism in a pivot away from oil exports, and the US Surgeon General calls for warning labels on social media platforms.

G7 leaders have agreed to use the interest generated from frozen Russian assets to raise $50 billion per year for Ukraine. Also in this edition: Elon Musk is optimistic about keeping his billion-dollar Tesla pay package. And Germany gears up to host the Euros, with 3 million visitors expected across the 10 host cities.

The US Federal Reserve has decided to keep its lending rate unchanged at the current 5.25-5.50 percent range and projected just one rate cut this year, despite soft inflation data. But first, the European Commission has informed China that it will impose new tariffs of up to 38 percent on Chinese-made electric cars from July 4 unless a solution is found. This comes following months of investigation into Chinese subsidies. 

The World Bank has upgraded its global growth outlook for this year, expecting it to hold steady at 2.6 percent for the first time in three years. The latest Global Economic Prospects report, however, warns that growth still remains well below the average of the pre-pandemic decade, with the world's poorest economies still grappling with inflation and high debt. The World Bank's Deputy Chief Economist Ayhan Kose spoke to FRANCE 24.