"A tragedy that politicians never put businesses at the heart of the system": Sophie de Menthon's proposals to give priority to SMEs

Writer, columnist, TV show host, and above all, an entrepreneur at heart. Sophie de Menthon has chaired the Ethic (Human-Sized, Independent, and Growing Businesses) employers' movement for thirty years. She is also the founder of the "I Love My Business" business festival. But she is best known for her outspokenness and strong stances. While in Cannes these past few days for the Film Festival, she didn't mince her words when commenting on French economic and political news. Selected excerpts.

You are angry with politicians who, in your opinion, do not talk enough about business...

Yes, the state of France is such that business leaders must take power and react. It is a tragedy that politicians never put business at the heart of the system. While President Macron is telling us about Choose France and the "startup nation" , businesses are closing. We must also think about the SMEs and VSEs that are already present in the country and help them. The French mindset must change, and this will happen by immediately simplifying administrative rules and giving power back to businesses. They are not an adjustment variable, and the social system must not rely on them.

Do we need to acculturate politicians to the company?

At Ethic, we're launching the national "Deputy in Business" initiative in the coming days. We're proposing that elected officials do an internship, on a voluntary basis: spend half a day in accounting, attend a sales meeting, etc. It's primarily about raising awareness; we're not here to train them to be bosses!

This will not be enough...

Nothing will be enough. We're at a stage where we can't rely on a magic wand. We have to start from the ground up and inculcate culture among children, teachers, and politicians within the company... My perspective is the business solution. The private sector must take back control, and business leaders must be free to manage their own affairs without being burdened with taxes every time something goes wrong...

Without turning into excessive liberalism like in the United States...

Liberalism is, above all, the freedom to settle and trade wherever one wants. America is no longer liberal, but capitalist. Donald Trump has blown up liberalism and introduced a new protectionism into the world.

You say that the French unemployment system must be abolished...

Our country has been deformed by the political and social system, which is too generous. It is unacceptable that there are professions where we cannot recruit. If a person is unemployed, they must change careers! We must lead a peaceful French revolution to restore meaning to the value of work. Our country will only recover if the French take action. And why should they, since the State is coming to their aid? The result: they want to retire at 60. The CPME (Confederation of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises) recently proposed moving to a 36-hour week, but the bosses didn't dare say anything. We must revisit the 35-hour week and be firmer on unemployment, while keeping things in perspective. That is, by protecting employees, taking into account the arduous nature of certain professions, and offering training and retraining.

The bosses should also clean up their own house and stop accepting state aid...

Absolutely, they must also stop asking the State for more and more. Hence the open forum written with Alain Madelin, "The Ten Commandments of the Boss" [read our edition of the 20th April, Editor's note]: "You will no longer beg the State" ; "you will stop demanding protective laws to favor your sector" ...

You are up in arms against Laurent Wauquiez in particular, who claimed that not a single undocumented employee would be legalized...

The government prohibits the employment of undocumented workers, and that's normal. But it's also the same government that, upon presentation of 12 months of professional activity over the last 24 months in a job or sector in short supply, will grant them regularization. I propose the "green card" system, like in the United States. That the person recruited have the right of residence equivalent to the duration of the contract. And I am also against family reunification.

What do you think would be the most urgent problem to address?

There isn't just one, but we really need to blow up the French union model to have a broader offering. The employer model has been blown up, since movements like Ethic or CroissancePlus [association of "growth entrepreneurs", Editor's note] exist.

We absolutely need to change the union movement so we can talk to normal people. Our unions date back to before the war, and only 10% of employees are unionized; we need 80%. It's crazy that a boss and president of an employers' movement like me is demanding this, but we need unions, and our companies can't function if their employees don't have representatives.

You met with David Lisnard, the mayor of Cannes, to discuss the creation of an International Cinema Museum...

It will be an interactive and fun museum of 21st-century cinema, composed of several spaces, including one dedicated to the Cannes Film Festival. It will have to be financed in part by private funds, and I will make sure to find some. For the moment, Rachida Dati, the Minister of Culture, is not very committed to this project, but I will take it upon myself to raise her awareness about the issue of funding.