The historical parallel speaks for itself

Your computer services sector was not spared by the crisis. Atos has best withstood than its competitors

When some of your customers are in crisis, I am thinking particularly of Arcandor, you are necessarily concerned. But we will keep our goals 2009 with a very significant improvement of our operational performance - between 50 and 100 basis points - with the first effects of the TOP plan. Our turnover should be slightly lower, as announced on-3 and-4: a good strength, with the weight of the recurrent activities which continued to grow at a rate of 3 to 5 Despite the crisis. and offset the benefit of more cyclical activities, such as systems integration and the Council. We anticipate no upturn in demand from the trend observed before the second half of 2010, where it should be in a progressive manner. But the continuation of the TOP plan in 2010 we will still improve our operational performance.

At a time when computer manufacturers became rivals on your traditional business, should you not focus on high value-added activities

It is the dynamics that we have accelerated my arrival and made of Atos already one of the most recognized companies in this field. These high-tech transactional services already allow us to assist our clients in the energy, agri-food, finance, retail, telecoms, to "reinvent" their growth model for the "post-crisis" with our developed solutions in Atos Worldline. This activity is already more than 20 of our turnover. We want the double by 2013. Of course, we do not forget our traditional activities that are the bedrock of this development and we industrialisons across the entire group.

This means move, in India or in China

Atos is a legacy of European know-how accumulation. And Europe will remain at the heart of our strategy of development and skills. But, to accompany the new needs of our customers, we welcome within our company hundreds of thousands of new employees in India, in China, but at the Morocco in Argentina.

You require much of your engineers. The issue of work-related stress part of your concerns

Atos is a young company. Average age of our employees, thirty-six years. It is a very highly qualified: 42,000 of our 50,000 employees are engineers. In the services economy, our executives are most often on the ground, outside our walls. Lifestyles change. We need to anticipate. Imagine how our employees want to work in a world where new technologies will be ubiquitous. I have entrusted to 30 young engineers of various nationalities bottom reflection. They are rethinking the balance between family life and work. To construct a new environment that exceeds the search performance and profitability, to better promote personal fulfillment.

Your reference shareholder of PAI, as all of the funds, through a zone of turbulence. This erode it it

Non. PAI administrators, who are our Board of Directors support the strategy of Atos. And I am glad.

You discuss the crisis. Minister of finance, you were doing debt reduction a priority. In the light of the budgetary situation of today, are you worried

Important, it is less the situation of the time as the need to define a heading, to accredit now return to the equilibrium strategy. Before the crisis, the countries of the euro area were awarded on this ambition. Economic policies converged and the objective of a budgetary balance by 2010 seemed within reach. The crisis has swept this and euro-zone countries argue, today, in order dispersed, with deficits of 3, 5, 9 or 12. The time has come to plan for the post-crisis to find the best path to growth and manage the crisis of employment which, alas, is not behind us. It should absolutely go back to the convergence of economic policies, to give a common perspective of consolidation of public finances in the euro area, build the second phase of the construction of the euro: the future of Europe is the price. For me, this situation warrants a major political act: a major Conference of Refoundation of a common strategy for public finances in the euro area.

But is there really urgent

The Germany believes. And that is why it has included in its Constitution the impossibility of a deficit from 2016. Such a calendar of clean-up is certainly not within the reach of all. But my belief is that we must do ours the fundamental principle of sound management of our public finances and to include it in our Constitution. A return to balance, Yes, but what France horizon Let us be clear! I observed, over the past 30 years, we have managed to reduce our deficit of 0.5 to 0.7 point of GDP per year, in sequence. Never again, and this was already the result of a considerable effort. I infer, with on-board current deficits and official forecasts, in the best-5 in 2012, that at the rate of the best previous performance the France do not be the balance before 2020-2022. A good decade, therefore.

Why make the fight against deficits and debts the top priority

For growth and employment. Because, unlike wisdom, it is reducing the deficits that it increases the growth potential and not the reverse. On the last three decades, our trend growth has ceased to decline to be digging our deficits. And our structural unemployment followed. The historical parallel speaks for itself. Between 1980 and 1990, annual average deficit on the Decade: 2.5 of GDP; average annual growth: 2.4. 1990S: 3.7 average deficit, but 2 of growth. 2000S: 4 deficit in average and only 1.3 growth. And for the next ten years, crisis requires, it will be to the best of 4 to 5 of annual deficits averaged over the period. And, how much growth In sum, deficits fed the growth and employment, this would eventually be. Can no longer afford to procrastiner!

Where do you come

This: at the current rate, and combining the weight of the refinancing of debt onboard with our structural deficits, the France likely to become the first issuer of debt in euro in the world by 2014/2015. With a need for financing/refinancing market than the (300 billion) State budget. Everyone has seen that President Obama was its "road shows" in China to place the US debt as it celebrated the fall of the wall in Berlin. Is it that, already, Europe is the first issuer of debt in the world Financial dependency is one thing. Political sovereignty is another. And if I believe the IMF, the Germany will have found the balance of the accounts to 2014 when our deficit we would be still around 3 to 4. Now is the time must be drawn a political perspective for the offsets. The France, or others, cannot be dependent on its major creditors of tomorrow.

In this context, is it reasonable to launch a great loan

You understand that the era that opens is first, for our generation, large refund! This will be true in many countries. In France also, of course. The French State takes every day. Alone in 2009 250 billion. In 2012, the only interest on the debt will cost $ 70 billion to 80 billion. A quarter of the State budget. This will be the first budget position, front of the school. The weight of the past stifles any ability to invest in the future. It is in the light of this finding that one can understand the why of a large loan: preserving a certain continuum of investment in the short term.

But on the merits, you think what

Information, knowledge, universities, research, digital..., I have enough milité for the new economy of the immaterial. I can therefore only approve the priorities. But, it must be, here also, restore the true dimension: that of Europe! The Lisbon agenda, it is known, is not reached, unfortunately, its original goals which were particularly relevant. I believe need us an another great common purpose, a new Lisbon for the post-crisis growth. What is the issue Summary: in order to repay the legacy of the past, we must collectively become attractive. And, this is an economic yesterday as truth of tomorrow, are men and talents that are growth. While the emerging world is booming, the population of Europe is stagnating and aging. Our 500 million citizens will have to meet the demographic challenge in a world, which will increase from 6.5 to 9 billion people in the next 25 years. China and the India, already formed engineers per million. Under pressure, Europe must now think about organizing a massive migration of brainpower. Radically gear. Need more to hide: Europe needs of millions of new talent to be whether host.