Too political or too technical? An elected official who knows nothing about digital or an expert already at the heart of the machine? When he was appointed Minister Delegate in charge of the Digital Transition and Telecommunications, Jean-Noël Barrot heard everything. At 39, this unknown to the general public lacks neither confidence nor bite. A mocking flash blazes in his blue eyes as he sweeps away these simplifications.
“The truth is that I am a researcher specializing in the financing of innovation. Then I became an MP who got very involved in business issues,” he replies in the joyous hubbub of the France Digitale Day, major annual gathering of the France Digitale association. Holder of a double doctorate, this graduate of HEC, Sciences-Po and the Paris School of Economics taught finance at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for five years. After a partial legislative election in the 4th constituency of Yvelines, which he has just comfortably won (71% of the vote) this Sunday, October 9, he is starting a second term as a deputy. But today, it is “in politics” and not as a simple technician that the newcomer to the government, close to François Bayrou, intends to carry out the mission entrusted to him by Elisabeth Borne.
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“We need the political impetus to bring all digital issues together at the same time. This is how we will succeed in the digital transition and that France will maintain its rank as a great digital nation”, declares the man. which bears a double filiation, political and entrepreneurial. Jean-Noël Barrot is the son of Jacques Barrot, who died in 2014, who was minister and European commissioner, and grandson of the Christian Democrat resistance fighter Noël Barrot. His mother, Florence Poivey, who enthusiastically retweets his speeches, gave him a taste for business, she who ran a plastics processing SME, Plastic Union, for twenty-five years and assumed responsibilities at Medef.
For 28 years, never a law had been devoted to them. Thanks to @EmmanuelMacronthe 3 million self-employed workers in France will benefit from new rights and new protections. pic.twitter.com/LDPCwrH2Jw
— Jean-Noel Barrot (@jnbarrot) January 10, 2022
“A Fair Cloud”
First to assume a full-fledged digital ministry – when his predecessors were only secretaries of state – Jean-Noël Barrot seems to be showing a new firmness vis-à-vis the Gafa. His predecessor, Cédric O., did not hide his fascination for the American champions. He prefers to highlight the ambitions of the France 2030 plan: to build the digital bricks essential to the emergence of strategic autonomy in Europe. In mid-September, visiting the OVH Cloud champion, he announced support measures for the French cloud industry. “We are not going to stop there, he continues. Our ambition is to bring these subjects to European level.” He wants to convince his counterparts in the Union to obtain a certification equivalent to the French SecNumCloud, a label which guarantees data protection. “We will continue the work started by recreating a level playing field in the cloud,” he adds.
From October, the offensive minister will also be maneuvering to adapt to French laws the DMA-DSA, a historic project adopted by Europe to regulate the digital giants. He promises to be firm. “We will be extremely vigilant in the implementation of these texts which are a real revolution”. And even plans to go a little beyond European law. “Nothing prevents us, in consultation with the various ministries concerned, from inserting other provisions”, he loose.
Securing young people
Last June, the President of the Republic again raised his ambitions for innovation: he wants France to have 100 unicorns by 2030. Who will then take over from venture capital funds? This issue of exit is one of the priorities of the Minister for the Digital Transition. The ex-professor of finance wants to find a follow-up to the Tibi initiative, which has enabled the most mature start-ups to conduct very large fundraisers. He also intends to work with Euronext so that the European place becomes – which is not won – a “European Nasdaq”.
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And to make digital safer, Jean-Noël Barrot, himself a young father, is committed to strengthening the protection of minors on the web. On October 6, he met with all the manufacturers of electronic equipment, soon to be forced to apply the Studer law. A text that will impose default parental controls on all screens: smartphones, computers, tablets. He also tackled the subject of cyber-harassment. “We are working, with the Ministry of National Education and Youth, to give substance to the presidential commitment and to ensure that all children benefit from reinforcement on the advantages and risks of the Internet from the start. sixth grade.”
He also wants to raise awareness of 3018, the number intended for college or high school students who are victims of harassment. Innovate, protect, democratize. On the three main axes of his roadmap, the government’s digital gentleman has a lot to do.
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