Table of Contents
Key Points
- France is trying to lure tech billionaire Elon Musk to invest in the country by building the next Tesla Gigafactory there.
- The nation’s digital minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, says they have invested in electric batteries and would love to welcome EV manufacturers and specifically Musk, there.
- Nevertheless, Barrot says that Twitter could face a ban in the EU if it fails to comply with the upcoming Digital Services Act.
France Digital Minister Jean-Noel Barrot hints that the country is planning to convince Elon Musk to invest in the next Tesla Gigafactory there. Barrot made these statements in an interview with a CNBC Journalist on June 14 though she also noted that if his Twitter platform does not comply with the upcoming EU Digital Services Act, it will get banned.
France to convince Elon Musk to invest in the country
In an interview with a CNBC Journalist, France’s Digital Minister Jean-Noel Barrot claimed that France had invested in electric batteries and would love to convince Elon Musk to build his next Tesla Giga factory there.
“It will be great to have a Tesla factory in France, there has been a lot of effort and energy to make sure this is possible and this can happen,” Jean-Noel Barrot told CNBC’s Charlotte Reed at the Viva Tech conference in Paris.
“We have also invested in an … entire sector of electric batteries so we will try to convince him that France is the best possible place in Europe to establish the next Tesla factory,” Barrot added.
Musk is expected to take the stage in Paris on June 15, 2023, at the Viva Tech Summit. He has been on the hunt for a new Gigafactory location, and his empire hasn’t gone unnoticed by France, who wants him to join them. He has been exploring wider networks for the Tesla market after setting up Gigafactories in U.S., Germany, and China.
When asked why Musk, Barrot praised him, saying he is a “great inventor, probably one of the greatest of the beginning of this century.”
Twitter could get an EU ban.
Barrot’s comments on wanting to lure Musk to France did not come without the topping of a possibility of a Twitter ban. Last month Barret also warned that Twitter could get banned in the country as it still does not comply with the EU’s upcoming Digital Services Act that goes into effect this August.
The Digital Services Act will force Tech giants like Twitter to police illegal content and disinformation more aggressively or risk multi-billion dollar fines.
“There will be huge scrutiny by the EU commission … on the actions Twitter is going to take to meet these new obligations. If Twitter fails to comply with these obligations , Twitter will face sanctions of up to 6% of global sales … In case those failures to comply are not … corrected, they will face an obligation to leave the EU.”
Barrot also topped up her comments, saying:
“In the past couple of weeks, what we’ve seen is not reassuring as to the ability of Twitter to comply with these new rules.”
These developments come at a time when Elon Musk is working hard to bring free speech to Twitter. However, it doesn’t go without his words that free speech is valid only when it abides by the laws. What will transpire next remains to be seen?
Keep watching Fintech Express for updates on this and other technology-related developments.