The head of French aerospace giant Safran has ignited a political row after declaring the company will no longer invest in cities governed by environmentalist majorities.
Remarks made last week by Safran CEO Olivier Andriès have reignited the debate around France’s push for "green reindustrialisation" – or sustainable development – highlighting divisions over how to balance economic growth with environmental concerns.
Speaking before a parliamentary inquiry into barriers to reindustrialisation, Andriès sharply criticised Green Party members in Rennes for opposing a proposed foundry that would create some 500 jobs, accusing them of blocking progress based on ideology.
“We had a solid agreement with the Socialist mayor,” Andriès explained to the panel. “Then the Greens started throwing tomatoes – literally and figuratively – saying it was scandalous. They didn’t want an aerospace group setting up shop [in their town], claiming it would pollute, that it’s linked to the military and therefore unacceptable."
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Short-term jobs vs. long-term impact
As a result, Andriès said Safran – in which the French state holds a 12 percent stake – would no longer consider investing in any city led by a Green majority.
“Whenever we have options for expansion, I will turn down any proposals from such municipalities,” the CEO said.
Green Party MP Sandrine Rousseau fired back that short-term job creation shouldn’t come at the cost of long-term environmental damage. “If it’s going to destroy the planet, then those 500 jobs won’t last,” she told broadcaster BFMTV .
Industry Minister Marc Ferraci came to Safran’s defence. “I’m proud of our aerospace sector, it’s a world leader,” he said, adding that the industry’s shift towards decarbonisation is already well under way.
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Yann Wehrling, president of the Ecologie Positive party, also criticised the move on X (formerly Twitter), posting: "The [Greens'] position on Safran in Rennes is incomprehensible. This type of position, at a time when we need to strengthen our national defence, marginalises ecology."
The proposed foundry, mooted to open in 2027, would manufacture turbine blades for Rafale fighter jets and the Leap engine, which powers the Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A320neo aircraft.
Environmentalists argue the project was approved without proper consultation. They claim more sustainable alternatives involving small and medium-sized enterprises were under consideration and should have been prioritised, given the climate crisis.
“This kind of job blackmail isn’t industrial strategy,” said the Green party in an official statement. “The real question is how long-lasting and sustainable these jobs will be, especially if energy costs continue to rise".
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Investment invitations
Not all regions share the Greens’ concerns, however. Île-de-France President Valérie Pécresse was quick to post a welcoming message on X, saying her region would gladly support Safran’s job creation plans.
The mayor of Romans-sur-Isère, in southeastern France, also publicly invited the company to invest in her area.
Backing Andriès’ stance, the CEO of the Bpifrance investment bank, Nicolas Dufourcq, weighed in on RMC radio, saying: “You can’t call for reindustrialisation while piling on conditions that make investment impossible."
He insisted that France’s industrial renewal is inherently green: “These are modern, electrified, decarbonised factories. People know that relying on manufacturing in China simply can’t go on."
