THIERRY BRETON HAS A ZOOM CONVERSATION WITH JEAN DOMINIQUE GIULIANI

USPA NEWS - The President of the Robert Schuman Foundation, Jean-Dominique Giuliani, held a conversation with Thierry Breton, the European Commissioner for the Internal Market, during an exceptional videoconference, on February 11, 2021, at 2hpm (CEST), at About "re-industrializing Europe and the lessons of the health crisis", a few days after being appointed head of a "talk force" aimed at "accelerating the production of vaccines in Europe". We were invited to this webconference, and about which we will relate the essence of this exclusive exchange and richly argued by Thierry Breton the former French Minister of the Economy (2005-2007), whose word is golden saying. Indeed Thierry Breton is known for his outspokenness, and his "educational" discourse when it comes to making the approach of the European Union, often considered by European citizens, "complex and technocratic", more accessible. The guests at this videoconference were mainly students and teachers, under the aegis of the Schuman Foundation and partners, the Catholic Institute of Paris and Lille, the Faculty of Law. As for Jean Dominique Giuliani, whose editorial we regularly publish as President of the Robert Schuman Foundation,

We were luckily invited to this webconference, and about which we will relate the essence of this exclusive exchange and richly argued by Thierry Breton the former French Minister of the Economy (2005-2007), whose word is golden saying. Indeed Thierry Breton is known for his outspokenness, and his "educational" discourse when it comes to making the approach of the European Union, often considered by European citizens, "complex and technocratic", more accessible. The guests at this videoconference were mainly students and teachers, under the aegis of the Schuman Foundation and partners, the Catholic Institute of Paris and Lille, the Faculty of Law. As for Jean Dominique Giuliani, whose editorial we regularly publish as President of the Robert Schuman Foundation, he is the President of the Robert Schuman Foundation. He was director at Sofres (1998-2001) and chief of staff to the President of the Senate, René Monory (1992-1998). The Robert Schuman Foundation is a think tank and study and research center over Europe. Created in 1991, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, recognized as being of public utility, the Robert Schuman Foundation works in favor of European construction, and became a benchmark research center, developing studies on the European Union and its policies and promotes their content in France, Europe and abroad. It provokes, enriches and stimulates the European debate through the quality of its research, its publications and its conferences. It provides concrete help to new democracies. CONVERSATION BETWEEN THIERRY BRETON AND JEAN DOMINIQUE GIULIANI--------------------------------------- To the question of Jean Dominique Giuliani regarding the recent decisions taken by the European Commission, in this period of the health crisis of COVID-19, the European Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton, replied, that 'is the' end of naivety »And that the European Commission has prioritized :: The axes were defined last March 1- Ecological transition, such as the "Green Deal" which is based on the ambition by 2050 with zero carbon emissions, among others. 2-The digital transition 3- Resilience, that is to say, the autonomy of sovereignty in important areas All this has been put in place since the COVID-19 epidemic crisis, which has arrived. ", recalled european Commissioner, Thierry Breton. He then explained from a geopolitical point of view, that the European Union must "better control its destiny, choose its partners, in a geopolitical context where the balance of power (United States - China, Russia, Turkey ...) are only amplifying “, because the European Union must maintain its sovereignty, knowing that“ We are the first industrial continent. We need to strengthen our strengths. And we must gain in autonomy, in independence for our supplies “-------------------------- Thierry Breton, former great French Industrialist, losing weight in the European industrial ecosystem, justified his classification "All the companies that make up a given sector, I have grouped together 14 sectors" He then continues, when the deployment of recent three axes, fixed by the European Commission, taking into account the concept of equity with regard to the Member States: "All of these 3 axes have been amplified, with the arrival of the health crisis, the role of digital technology, the green component and also resilience. Regarding the distribution of the debt of the European Union, Thierry Breton insisted on the equality of treatment of the Member States "It is my duty to proceed with the loan and the manner of calculation to maintain the level fleet, with equal treatment even during the crisis “

"WE ARE THE FIRST INDUSTRIAL CONTINENT" HAS AFFIRMED THIERRY BRETON------------------------------------ In replying to Jean Dominique Giuliani, Thierry Breton, replies to him as to the suzerainty of Europe, from an industrial point of view, "We are the first industrial continent" insisting on his very positive approach, drawing inspiration from his own path “I always prefer to strengthen the Strong Point rather than the rest, following my service as a politician and servant of the State and industrialist. "All this to" Increase our autonomy and our choices ... "-------------------------------------------------------- To the question of Jean Dominique Giuliani, concerning the tendency towards protectionism, induced by the COVID-19 pandemic, Thierry Breton answers “We are not going in a protectionist world, but more autonomous“ He completes in comparison with another great power what is China "With the 1st phase of national lockdown, we had a capacity for self-sufficiency in material and health equipment, it was the same problem and shortcomings with China, at the start of the epidemic"

THE CAPACITY OF GIVING A VACCINE IN 9 MONTHS IS AN EXTRAORDINARY EXTRAORDINARY ACCORDING TO THIERRY BRETON------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thierry Breton answers, to the crucial question which agitates the whole world, for safe lives and to get out of the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to hope for a return to "normal" life: "It is an extraordinary achievement, there were 100 successful candidates and now 6 have been selected, out of the 3 or 4 selected in the coming weeks, the BIO NTECH, and that of ASTRAZENECA, and the MODERNA. Of the 4, 3 were launched by the European Union. This is a success of the EU (European Union). Regarding BIONTECH, this is the result of investments in research for years. "He explains, he adds realizing how the difficulty of finding and carrying out effective and safe vaccines is strong:" I measure the task which was entrusted to me by the President of the European Commission, Ursula Von Der Lyen, in this task force. Thierry Breton answers Jean Dominique Giuliani's question about the priorities of the Task Force "The first part is to work on anticipation. The second component is to develop our ability to be autonomous in vaccine production, research, sequencing, clinical trials" It takes anticipation, networking, as with the arrival of variants, these are very important elements and take into account the sequencing and the implementation proposal "“In 3 to 4 months, we Europeans have been able to become totally autonomous. And when it comes to vaccines, thanks to a lot of innovation, it's a bet we're winning. It is a success. At the global level, several vaccines were able to be created in 9 months against 10 years previously, “said Thierry Breton.

"WE ARE DEMOCRATIC STATES (IN EU) IT'S SLOWER BUT IT'S OUR PRIDE" SAID THIERRY BRETON In replying to Jean Dominique Giuliani, Thierry Breton, a great connoisseur of the American continent, answers the thorny question of the reindustrialisation of Europe via the intervention of the State, facing the giant of the United States of America: “We are that we are a great Continent, bigger than the USA, in terms of population and we pay a lot of attention to what our continent produces in terms of values, the most democratic in the world, that's what the we are told "He adds that" It is the companies that will do it. We must encourage manufacturers to invest, to reinvest in Europe. There are instruments for this. In the east, it is the state that intervenes. We are not naive. Also in the West (the US), the state also intervenes enormously; there are companies that have access to military and defense investments, and there are others“¦ “When it comes to regulations, Thierry Breton continues“ The EU is also acquiring instruments and launching projects of common interest, alliances: on batteries, on the hydrogen sector, on power processors, on the Cloud, on satellites in low orbit to create a secure information space“¦ “ So the State intervention? "Yes, consistent with WTO rules. And our living together must function without naivety.

INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY OVER COMPETITION POLICY AND GDPR (GENERAL DATA PROTECTION REGULATION)----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Responding to another question from Jean Dominique Giuliani, about the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), a concept very dear to Eurocitizen, since recently hospitals have been targeted by cyber hackers, Thierry Breton replies reassuringly as to the taking into account. account of the two leading heads of state, French and German, set up a European autonomy of protected data: "With Macron and Merkel the Cloud Operation Alliance, and the statutory autonomy of the data space, which would be protected and seized.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jean Dominique Giuliani also asks the question of: “how to articulate this industrial strategy with European competition policy and commercial policy? Can the European digital package DSA - Digital services act - [announced by the EU on December 15] become a standard like the GDPR (data protection) regulation? Thierry Breton responds to it, through the best modes of regulation that are gatekeepers, to protect Eurocitizen and the Digital Market: “No, it's very different. With the DSA, these are not standards: they are obligations to be fulfilled in order to enter the internal market. You have to respect them to be a 'gate keeper' (...). This is the condition for safeguarding our European interests, our values. And, for example, when it comes to large digital platforms, what is prohibited “off-line“ must also be prohibited “on-line“. The DSA, these are obligations to be fulfilled, of which the information space is part; for example for the protection of children “.------------------- “Likewise, the DMA (Digital markets act) [also announced on December 15] targets anti-competitive, anti-economic behavior which does not respect our values: 'gate-keepers have obligations vis-à-vis monopolies, etc. . Moreover, China has a very strong consensus on this. There, too: end of naivety! “.

THIERRY BRETON RESPONDS TO JEAN DOMINIQUE GIULIANI ABOUT ASTRA ZENECA VACCINE & COVAX Thierry Breton answers the question of Jean Dominique Giuliani, about the strategy in the choice of vaccines and that in particular for the European Union, to have bought doses of Astra Zeneca, Thierry Breton answers: "This are bets we are taking on the future thanks to science in the face of the virus (COVID-19). So the commission chooses these laboratories, after tests. While it was believed that Astra Zeneca and / or Johnson would arrive first, it was messenger RNA vaccines that arrived first and they are very innovative. " Each of those selected, such as BioNtech, Moderna and then that of Oxford AstraZeneca, have no vaccine expertise. It is not easy to validate this vaccine over 1 billion, normally it takes 5 to 10 years and we have to see that it works over 9 months, Zero defect is quite new. "------------------------------------------------------------- He adds, justifying these very measured and reasoned choices: "We therefore selected six laboratories, with three different technologies, two candidates for each one. The fastest, most innovative messenger RNA technology.------------------------------ But these laboratories do not have know-how in vaccine industrialization, in very large production lines. The Commissioner for Health, Stella Kyriakides and I are making sure to enter the second phase on a sustainable basis, that of large-scale industrial production with vaccine specialists. The laboratories have chosen their partner. My role is to support them, to meet the manufacturers who are competing. This is the meaning of my visit yesterday to AstraZeneca's Seneffe site in Belgium: an opportunity to support the highly mobilized employees of this factory, an establishment which has only been "validated" for a few months! ".

FOR THE VACCINE IT IS LIKE A WAR ECONOMY AND ALSO A SCIENTIFIC ISSUE THIERRY BRETON SAID Thierry Breton then answers Jean Dominique Giuliani's double question "What are the other challenges of this industrialization of vaccines?" and How does the commission and the EU fit into the COVAX program? "This industrialization must also be part of the WHO global COVAX program, which guarantees equitable access to vaccines to more than 170 countries. You have to understand that there are many components, so this is a global voltage supply chain. We must ensure that everyone supports each other, that there is solidarity; it is a state of mind that must be fostered. "" The whole planet is affected. And you know my consideration for Africa: it is absolutely necessary to take care of the African continent, it is natural for us. It is therefore necessary to increase production capacities by several billion within 18 months. However, it is extremely complicated to do, we have to boost the power of the industrialists, increase the yield. For this, it normally takes 2 to 3 years. Yet, here it is a matter of 3 to 4 months. It's like a war economy “. "And the stake is not only industrial, because, as we see with the variants, it is also a scientific issue."

"SHOULD WE INCRIMINATE THE EU´s BUREAUCRACY OVER THE LONG DELAYS FOR IMPLEMENTING THE FINANCING PLANS AVAILABLE?" ASKED BY JEAN DOMINIQUE GIULIANI---------------------------------------------- Jean Dominique Giuliani, then questioned Thierry Breton on the long delays in making funds available, during a European financing plan, and if this would be due to the legendary bureaucracy of the European Union, as it is perceived by Eurocitizen, “The delays in implementing financing plans and making funds available raise the question: should the EU bureaucracy be blamed? "Thierry Breton brought a democratic response by comparing the office automation operation, linked to the multiplication of relays and chambers of elected officials, state representatives in the EU versus the USA, whom he knows well for having practiced it there (in the USA): » " I have worked and lived a lot in the United States. They have a very powerful parliamentary system; and shuttles between the Senate and the House of Representatives often take months or even years. The most powerful is the Senate, where each state has two votes. With us, it´s one voice and it´s called democracy. However, the implementation times are equivalent. So we have to deal with it: it is time for the implementation of democracy ". He also explained the notion of a democratic and non-bureaucratic process, correcting this design error as follows: “The very high amounts of the stimulus plan, including the Green Deal [750 billion euros], were obtained in a record time of 7 to 8 months. But here it is, for their implementation, ratification by the member states is necessary: delays do not result from bureaucracy but from the exercise of democracy ". “In the meantime, the Member States can intervene on the ground, on major projects. I remind you that 37% of investments are intended for the Green Deal or Green Deal, and 20% for digital. So, of course, there is an element of bureaucracy, but it is the notion of time that is important, especially in this time of a pandemic. The last parliaments will ratify and the payments will arrive “.

ACCORDING TO THIERRY BRETON "A DEBT IS MADE TO BE REIMBURSED & THE EU IS A COLLECTIVITY OF STATES"------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jean Dominique Giuliani, questions Thierry Breton on the debt of the EU and the repayment of the European debt, including the Recovery Plan linked to the COVID-19 crisis: "Member States? Have you revised your positions - like Germany - on these investments that will have to be repaid? Thierry Breton replies: “The EU is a collectivity of states; we must therefore organize our living together, we must respect and accept our common rules and thus avoid divergences. And for that, we need comparable objectives. This is true for the indebtedness of countries. France, which had fallen to 62% of GDP, has risen since the 2008 crisis and certain measures by Nicolas Sarkozy have pushed it up to 88%, while Germany has fallen to 72%. To pay off such debts would require 25 years of surplus! Today, we can pursue a debt policy because interest rates are zero or even negative. But one day, it is the taxpayers who will pay! For now, there are major differences to be resolved. Currently, for example, in Germany there are many retirees whose pensions are indexed to a zero interest rate; therefore, they become poorer. I will fight to the end for there to be convergence between states: it is a real subject. "He explains in this way, without forgetting to recall the realistic facts:" It will be necessary to reimburse the € 750 billion See article: European Recovery Plan Package for € 750 billion) it is common sense, this term dear to you and to myself. It is a historic debt. The fact remains that, for the Commission, a debt is meant to be repaid: that is common sense! But, it is true, we are in an unprecedented situation, that of a historic debt, essential to save our humanity, which can be explained objectively. It doesn't shock me. But it will have to be repaid, for example by considering the digital information space. Or, there is no doubt that, for example, we will have to talk again about a CO2 tax at the borders. We are working on tools, such as the digital tax and common investments, carbon tax, CO2, which will help to refine this debt and the upstream European budget. It is often when you have a debt that you put in place new instruments! "------------------------------------------ It is in talking about it that we find answers. And there may be different perceptions, that doesn't shock me. This debt, at this moment in our history, those who will read the constitution of this 2020 debt, (Linked to the COVID-19 crisis), they will understand this historic moment and how to rebuild to the new criteria, it does not shock me not and we will have to be careful. "Concluded Thierry Breton, after an hour of conversation with his (friend and host) Jean Dominique Guliani, President of the Schuman Foundation, to whom he gladly offered to come back:" I am ready to spend an hour of conversation with you again. on this topic. We also look forward to the next exciting conversation between two great experts of the European Union, Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for the Internal Market, and Jean Dominique Guliani, President of the Robert Schuman Foundation“¦ To be continued“¦

WHO IS JEAN DOMINIQUE GIULIANI PRESIDENT OF FOUNDATION ROBERT SCHUMAN As for Jean Dominique Giuliani, whose editorial we regularly publish as President of the Robert Schuman Foundation, he is the President of the Robert Schuman Foundation. He was director at Sofres (1998-2001) and chief of staff to the President of the Senate, Rene Monory (1992-1998), Chief Executive Officer of the Taylor Nelson Sofres Group (1998-2001), . Jean Giuliani has been also, Special adviser to the European Commission (2008-2010). He currently chairs the Robert Schuman Foundation, Paris-Brussels. As President of the Robert-Schuman Foundation, he has been called upon for many years to frequently appear in the media. He is a member of the Supervisory Board of the Arte France television channel, and President of ILERI since February 2019. Amongs others, he has published, in particular: « A European in a hurry » (Editions du Moment, 2008), "Advocacy for enlargement" and "Atlas of new members", Notes de la Fondation Robert Schuman, n ° 11, 2002; “Quinze Dix“, the great enlargement, Albin Michel, 2003 and “The enlargement of Europe“ (PUF “Que sais-je?“, 2004). He also contributed to "The State of the Union 2009. Schuman Report on Europe" published under the direction of Thierry Chopin and Michel Foucher (Editions Lines de Repères, Robert Schuman Foundation, Center for European Studies) (Source: Wikipedia)

WHO IS THIERRY BRETON EUROPEAN COMMISSIONER FORMER FRENCH INDUSTRIAL LEADER----------------- Thierry Breton was appointed in 2019, he is European Commissioner, responsible for industrial policy, the internal market, digital technology, defense and space, as the “super commissioner“ does not call him. Thierry Breton was previously Minister of the Economy n France from 2005 to 2007 and of national education (1986-1988). He was previously a famous French businessman, politician and former CEO of large industrial groups (ATOS, 2008-2019, France Telecom (2002-2005), THOMSON MULTIMEDIA (1997-2002), BULL (1993-1992). He is also known to have and the project manager of Futuroscope in Poitiers between 1986 and 1990. He was also elected Regional Councilor of Poitou-Charentes, Vice-President (1986-1992) RESPONSIBILITIES OF THIERRY BRETON INTERNAL MARKET COMMISSIONER----------------------------------------- “¢ Guarantee the proper functioning of the internal market, including the free movement of goods and services, both online and in the physical world. “¢ Help small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups develop, grow and employ more people, including by improving their access to finance. “¢ Establish a level playing field in the entire internal market and remedy the distorting effects of foreign subsidies, particularly with regard to public procurement. “¢ Develop a comprehensive long-term strategy to help European industry lead the green and digital transition while ensuring fair competition. “¢ Ensure that European industry fully contributes to climate neutrality by 2050 and to a circular economy. “¢ Strengthen Europe's technological sovereignty by implementing appropriate policies and investments, for example in the fields of data, artificial intelligence, 5G, defense and space technologies. “¢ Strengthen the internal market for digital services through the development of new rules (Digital Service Act), clarify the obligations of online platforms and give small businesses legal clarity and a level playing field. “¢ Strengthen Europe's cybersecurity, using certification, security of networks and information systems, emergency mechanisms in the event of a cyber incident and the deployment of the common unit for cybersecurity (Joint Cyber Unit). “¢ Strengthen EU tools to prevent and fight disinformation and fake news online, while preserving freedom of expression, press freedom and media pluralism. “¢ Help update the digital education action plan to equip young people and adults with the skills they need to live and work in the digital age. “¢ Ensure that the EU's intellectual property regime is coherent, competitive and responsive to the digital age. “¢ Implement the European Defense Fund and the military mobility action plan. “¢ Promote a strong and innovative space industry, maintaining the EU's autonomous, reliable and efficient access to space. “¢ Improve the crucial link between space, defense and security. (Source: European Commission)