Governance of chambers of commerce and industry: can Corsica be avoided?

Who will control the economy and transportation in Corsica? The answer to this question cannot be found in the Corsican region or in the Chamber of Commerce, which will soon be subordinated to the territorial administration. How will the future concession agreement be organized and how will the appointment be made? This issue, which is currently being discussed with Bersih, is far from being resolved.

If a regulatory regime is established, no tenders will be issued and the situation will remain the same. Logically, a tender should be held to determine the future manager, be it the Chamber of Commerce and Industry or other large private companies, or maybe even a consortium. Especially since large companies have shown interest in the four Corsican airports, which, together with the ports, collect about 100 million euros in taxes every year. Protected by insulation, they are not subject to competition from railroads as they are on the continent, where rail transport, which is 50 times less polluting, is preferred. And it cuts domestic air traffic under the Energy Transition Act.

Bouygues interested in Corsica?

According to various sources, French giants such as Bouygues have approached the head of the chamber of commerce over the past six months, although the appeal has not been confirmed by the chamber of commerce. A large company has the financial capacity to make, for example, an investment of 150 million euros that has not been realized in four years by the Corsican region, according to the latest report of the regional Chamber of Accounts on the lack of a territorial policy.

Will Corsica be a playing field for companies from the CAC 40 index?

The privatization of the chamber of commerce is not Gilles Simeoni's wish. The president of the executive, at a time when there is a drive for autonomy, cannot be the one to allow Corsica to lose control of transportation. Major companies are already present: CMA-CGM, MSC. At the Port of Canna, locals and a Franco-American group have a thirty-year concession. There are already big companies on the island: three of the world's biggest ocean carriers have an interest in the island: the CMA CGM acquired Meridionale in June and Italian giant MSC has invested in Moby.

According to our information, the Corsican region is not considering this public-private partnership scenario. Neither the territorial authority nor the chamber of commerce wants a pure regulatory system, although such a choice would have the advantage of getting rid of the idea of competition. Both stakeholders favor a mixed model, a "quasi-regulatory system" that still has to go through the Ministry of Economy and whose contours are still unclear. This intermediate solution raises a representation problem. Chambers of Commerce, being the representatives of merchants, have they a right to be subservient to politicians? This is also a question for the future integration of the Chambers in the Corsican region and the economic development strategy at the regional level.