Winning lobbying (and with music) – POLITICO
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By ALEXANDRE LECHENET
With OCÉANE HERRERO, AURORE GORIUS and PAUL DE VILLEPIN
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— Comment on Spotify and co have managed to put on hold the risk of a streaming tax.
— Anti-Airbnb law: a return with fanfare before Christmas.
— The barter ends for Vivendi following its acquisition of Lagardère.
Hello everyone, Today is time for the second round. After a first vote in which no majority emerged, member states will once again vote on the extension of the authorization of glyphosate.
France should abstain, and this despite the promise made by Emmanuel Macron a few years ago to ban the pesticide, with its controversial effects. If the subject interests you, or if you need to refresh your ideas, my colleague Bartosz Brzeziński has summed it all up here (in English).
STILL IN THE STUDIO. The Senate rides the son. The Finance Committee voted yesterday for an amendment to the 2024 budget to introduce a “streaming tax” on music platforms (Spotify, Deezer, Apple Music, etc.), representing the torch of the Renaissance deputies who had failed to impose it in October. Enough to restore suspense to the game of influence surrounding the question of financing the National Music Center, a source of discord in the sector for several months.
Concerto. At the heart of this battle, the platforms managed, at the instigation of Spotify, to form a united front to avoid taxation and push their own solution: a “voluntary contribution”. Clever, they played on the government’s divisions on the matter. Bercy is in fact rather opposed to the tax, while the Ministry of Culture wants to keep the tax option on the table.
We love variety. Questioned by Paris Influ, several platforms continue to highlight their role in the dissemination of French song and their commitment to musical creation in order to counterbalance their opposition to the tax, which some fear will give ideas to the ‘stranger. My colleague Océane Herrero tells you all about this alliance of circumstances.
THE LODGERS AT THE ASSEMBLY. The National Union for the Promotion of Vacation Rentals (UNPLV) – which brings together Abritel, Airbnb and Clévacances – is being heard this morning by the deputies. Its president Dominique Debuire tried, as diplomatically as possible, to make his fierce opposition heard to the proposed transpartisan law aimed at remedying the imbalances in the rental market in tense areas – sexily nicknamed “anti-Airbnb law”.
Put away in the closet in the spring, the text pushed by Annaïg Le Meur (Renaissance) and Iñaki Echaniz (PS) will finally be studied on November 28 in committee. The opportunity for a second round for the co-rapporteurs, who had failed to align the reduction enjoyed by tourist locations with those of traditional locations (furnished and bare accommodation), by increasing everyone to 40%.
The PPL in three words:
1) Gradually ban the short-term rental of thermal strainers;
2) Give all municipalities (and no longer just tense areas) control over authorizing a change of use;
3) Align the tax regime for all types of locations.
Empty chair. Airbnb’s director of public affairs, Diane Prébay, was initially scheduled, but canceled yesterday according to a parliamentary source. The rental companies preferred to let the UNPLV defend them. “Probably so as not to communicate, it’s strategic,” interprets our source.
The launch of a mission on the reform of rental taxation, announced as a softening pill the day after 49.3, will be made official today. It is Elisabeth Borne, traveling to Dunkirk on the theme of housing, who will reveal the names of the rapporteurs who will work on the subject. Without wanting to outdo him, your newsletter was told that it will be Marina Ferrari (Modem) and Annaïg Le Meur (Renaissance).
CLOSING. Vivendi hopes to complete the acquisition of Lagardère “in the coming weeks”. The group owned by Vincent Bolloré has confirmed that it has finalized the sale of Editis to IMI, Daniel Kretinsky’s media investment company, for the modest sum of 653 million euros — via a simple electronic signing of contracts , Tuesday at midday.
Denis Olivennes took probably his new role as president of Editis yesterday, with a speech at the group’s headquarters to boot. He confirmed to Le Figaro that Editis was “looking at” whether the Humensis publishing group (Belin, PUF, Les éditions de l’Observatoire, etc.) was put up for sale by the reinsurer Scor.
Gala outfit. The European Commission also gave the green light to the sale of the celebrity magazine Gala to the Le Figaro group – a condition set so as not to harm pluralism while Lagardère brings Paris Match into Vivendi’s ownership. The operation should take place “by the end of November”, according to the new media giant.
It’s not all over. There is still a small investigation in the pipeline against Vivendi, which did not wait for the green light from Brussels to launch the takeover operation on Lagardère: the group risks a fine of up to 10% of its turnover.
THE SGPE PASSES THE SECOND. The general secretariat for ecological planning will expand in the coming months, with a doubling of the staff planned in the 2024 budget. The year promises to be busy with the implementation of the main measures announced by the President of the Republic during the last Ecological Planning Council, underlines Christopher Szczurek (RN), special rapporteur in the Senate.
The warning : the senator also notes that the SGPE can use consulting firms and recommends that it “demonstrate sound judgment when using external service providers, a fortiori on an issue as sensitive as the ecological transition, on which the impartiality of certain firms has sometimes been called into question.”
HYDROELECTRICIDATED. Agnès Pannier-Runacher confirmed to senators yesterday that the government was aligning with the solution preferred by EDF in terms of hydroelectric dams. She sent a note to the European Commission indicating her “desire to investigate the possibility of moving towards an authorization regime”, which involves handing over the dams to different operators. A transfer “which will be investigated from the angle of state aid” by Brussels.
Best wishes. The Minister of Energy Transition also promised that the various texts constituting the French energy-climate strategy would be put out for consultation at the end of the week – or at the latest at the end of the month. The bill would arrive before Parliament in early 2024.
SOON TO BE RE-STAMPED. The decision of the administrative court of appeal regarding the approval of Anticor was rendered this morning. During the hearing, the public rapporteur pushed for the annulment of the first judgment, which had suspended the approval.
Without consequences? This suspension has hardly slowed down the activity of the anti-corruption association, we guarantee its administrator, Eric Alt: “We have postponed some corresponding civil party constitutions, one might have thought. »
The following : if the judgment is annulled, Anticor will be able to fully resume its usual activities. Otherwise, another application for approval has already been submitted and should be studied by the Prime Minister’s services before Christmas.
— The Nutri-score, a rating that is emulated in many sectors (Le Monde)
— Brain drain in the private sector, price of power of managers… how the State self-destructed (Le Figaro)
— Anne Hidalgo’s controversial trip to Polynesia: an anti-corruption association files a complaint (AFP)
— The mailbox of a French MP was sold for €138 on a hacker forum (Numerama)
Thibaut Guilluyhigh commissioner for inclusion in employment and business engagement, was proposed by the President of the Republic as the new director general of Pôle Emploi — which will soon become France Travail, a reform proposed by Thibaut Guilluy, the world is well made.
Amandine Reix yesterday took up her position as deputy director of space, electronics and software, in the digital economy department of the General Directorate of Enterprises (DGE) in Bercy. She succeeds in Carole Vachetappointed this summer as deputy chief of staff to Bruno Le Maire.
Marie-Christine Verdier-Jouclasformer bank branch director and LREM deputy for Tarn until 2017, was appointed director general of the National Office for Combatants and Victims of War in the Council of Ministers.
Cedric Lewandowskiexecutive director of EDF and former director of Jean-Yves Le Drian at the Ministry of Defense, was elected Tuesday president of the Club of Corporate Security Directors (CDSE).
Shannon Seban join Altice as Head of European Public Affairs.
Erwann LePagehead of public affairs at Tier Mobility, becomes partner at Dentons Global Advisors.
Nicolas Rieul leaves Criteo but retains his position at the head of the Digital Alliance, which brings together advertisers, until the end of his mandate in December 2024.
A big thank you to : our editor Jason Wiels.
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