Crisis leaves traces in the Pays de la Loire

Crisis leaves traces in the Pays de la Loire. "The important place of the industry and the weight of the acting largely explain the ultrasensibilité of the region in the downturn", confirms the Insee. After a successful decade, sectors such as construction of cruise ships, sailing, the motorhomes, automotive subcontracting or capital equipment, such as Manitou, found themselves in the front line as early as the beginning of the reversal of conditions. However, the unemployment rate to 8.1 end 2009, remains below the 9.5 recorded in the national plan. It stood at 7.7 at the end 2004 and 5.9 in the summer 2008, on the eve of the financial crisis. Diverse, the economy of the Pays de la Loire has strengths to resist with aeronautical, composite channels or the agri-food sector with less suffered from the crisis. Other areas look promising as information and communication sciences or the new energies, although major projects in the field of wind energy are still hypothetical.

Emergence of cities

The dynamism of the Pays de la Loire collects demographic. Fifth region of France, with 3.553.437 inhabitants, the region won 320,000 souls in ten years, at a rate of 1 year relating to the natural balance and net migration. To accompany this development, a doubling of investment was made on the regional express trains or high schools. Moreover, EUR 1.6 billion will be invested on the territories of 2005-2010 by territorial contracts single (CTU). So far, the Pays de la Loire are among the ten French regions where direct taxation is less heavy.

This increase in population perceives in the evolution of the urban landscape. Nantes, the regional capital, turned with the Nantes island project and programs supported by the National Agency for urban renewal. The network of cities is not left. Tertiary neighbourhoods are built on the TGV railway stations and new spaces were opened to urbanization. The Le Mans, Angers, Nantes are are equipped with tram and busway. The cities was also complete on a cultural level, with major museums, cultural facilities, or recreation projects.

Few foreign investors

This extension of the urban fact reflected also by development research and the emergence of networks in biotechnology, acoustic or nuclear physics. But much remains to be done. "The main weakness of the region is the offset between its economic standing and its place in higher education research," said Patrick Chedmail, Director of the Ecole centrale of Nantes. The international opening, through better rail, and air connections remains the weak point of the territory which remains off. Eighth French region with respect to GDP per capita (EUR 27.533 in 2008), 6een matter of taxable income, the Pays de la Loire are placed only in the 12erang among the exporting regions and tail of platoon when it comes to foreign investment.

The challenge.

The Notre-Dame-des-Landes airport, who heads the regional election, one of the key issues of the region is its connection to the rest of the country. This would require the culmination of two files: a stretch connecting Nantes to future LGV South Europe Atlantic to height of Poitiers and Tours and interconnection TGV South of Paris. Jean-Marc Ayrault, Mayor of Nantes also argues that the national scheme of infrastructure from transport (SNIT), in preparation, should take into account a link between Nantes and Paris " guaranteed within 1 h 45. The Nantes elected also wants an LGV Nantes and Rennes, serving the future airport.