The prime minister's office at Matignon has decided to tighten the rules. In a decree published this Sunday 2 August (source in French), Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has strengthened state control over the purchase, by foreign investors, of companies in sensitive sectors.
Until now, the Ministry of the Economy had a right of scrutiny whenever a non-European investor acquired 25% or more of a French company listed on a regulated market outside the European Union. "From now on, any stake of at least 10% taken by a non-European investor in a French company listed on a regulated market outside the European Union will have to be authorised by the state", the prime minister wrote on X.
"Protecting our strategic companies means protecting our sovereignty. Our responsibility is twofold: to support the development of our companies while safeguarding our strategic interests", Sébastien Lecornu said.
The aim of this decision is to "guard against opportunistic non-European shareholdings in French companies listed outside the EU that could pose threats to national security", the prime minister's office said in a statement.
"To avoid unduly undermining companies' ability to raise funds on the markets, this strengthened oversight will be carried out under a fast-track procedure", the statement also said.
