Jean-Noël Barrot at Maison MGA

Industry is a matter of sovereignty.

We were delighted to welcome the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, to the Maison MGA in Civrieux d’Azergues today.

The visit centred on a key issue: how can France remain a major industrial nation in an increasingly fragmented world?

Whether in Davos or on the ground, the picture is the same:
– value chains are becoming regionalised,
– geopolitical tensions are taking hold,
– technological dependencies are coming to light,
– global competition is intensifying.

In this ongoing state of crisis, agility is no longer enough. We also need resilience.

At Maison MGA, we’ve made a simple commitment: to engineer complex systems.

Turning a scientific discovery into a medical device or a bespoke machine.
Turning a prototype into an industrial tool.
Turning a start-up into a global player.

This is what Techbio is all about, and it is an area where France still has tremendous strengths.

The Lyon ecosystem remains one of the richest in the world in the life sciences. But competition is fierce.

China is making rapid progress.
The United States is investing heavily.
Europe must regain momentum, streamline its processes and be more ambitious.

We need innovation.
We need investment.
We need to think globally.
We also need drive and nerve!

Because an industry that does not export weakens.
Innovation that is not put into industrial production remains merely a promise.

Through our involvement in The Drug Cell, SWARM-itc, La French Fab and Territoires d’industrie, we are making a modest effort to contribute to this momentum.

We are driven by one conviction:

Industry does not merely produce goods.
It generates sovereignty, employment, social cohesion and hope.

Thank you to the Minister for the fruitful discussions, and thank you to the MGA teams who pursue this ambition with passion every day.

We are proud to be French, to innovate, to industrialise and to manufacture within our regions, and to fly the flag for France 🇫🇷 all over the world!

Thank you to Blandine BROCARD, Member of Parliament for our constituency, for inviting the Minister to our beautiful region, and to the entire delegation that accompanied him, which was brilliantly organised by the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Prefecture under the leadership of the Regional Prefect.