France to Toughen Controls on Foreign Investment in Local Firms
- Finance minister says risk to technologies never been so high
- Critical raw materials sector will be subject to checks
Bruno Le Maire at a factory in Alex, near Thones, France, on Aug. 24.
Photographer: Olivier Chassignole/AFP/Getty Images
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French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire pledged to reinforce controls on foreign investment in the country’s businesses in order to protect strategic industries and technologies.
The sectors covered will be expanded to include companies involved in the extraction and processing of critical raw materials, he said. Controls will also be extended to the French branches of foreign firms to crack down on buyers bypassing checks.