France's culture minister to be tried for corruption
Dati is accused of accepting €900,000 in lawyer's fees between 2010 and 2012 from a Netherlands-based subsidiary of Renault-Nissan, but not really working for them, while she was an MEP from 2009 to 2019.
Investigations have sought to determine whether she was in fact lobbying in the European Parliament for the carmaker, an activity that is forbidden.
Advertisement
French investigating magistrates also ordered that Carlos Ghosn, the ex-tycoon of Renault-Nissan, be tried, the judicial source said.
The 71-year-old, who has been living in Lebanon for years after escaping arrest in Japan, has also rejected the charges against him.
A hearing on September 29th will decide on the date of the trial, the source said.
According to another source following the case, the trial could be held after the Paris municipal elections, which will be held in March next year.
Dati, a daughter of working-class North African immigrants, has repeatedly sought without success to have the charges against her quashed.
She is a right-winger who served in Nicolas Sarkozy's government but has recently been brought back into government as culture minister under the centrist François Bayrou.
Ghosn, the former chairman and chief executive of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, was arrested in Japan in November 2018 on suspicion of financial misconduct, before being sacked by Nissan's board in a unanimous decision.
He jumped bail late the following year and made a dramatic escape from Japan hidden in an audio-equipment box, landing in Beirut, where he remains as an international fugitive.
Both Japan and France have sought his arrest.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euronews
22 minutes ago
- Euronews
Customs duties: What will be the impact on European consumers?
The impact of a tentative trade deal struck by the European Union and United States on European consumers will be limited, experts have said. On Sunday, the US and the EU agreed to a deal in order to avoid a trade war between the world's two largest economies, warding off US President Donald Trump's threat of 30% tariffs on most European goods if no deal was reached by 1 August. Under the preliminary agreement, around 70% of EU exports bound for the US will now be subject to a 15% tariff. The remaining 30% of goods are open to further negotiations. The EU has not put in place any tariff barriers targeting American products, so their prices will not rise in Europe. "The impact on European consumers will be limited," Agustín Reyna, Director General of the European Consumers' Organisation (BEUC), said. "Customs duties are paid by the importer. In this case, the 15% tax that the United States imposes on EU products applies to American importers. So that means that certain products could become more expensive for American citizens", Reyna told Euronews. Increase in Chinese products In the long term, Chinese products currently exported to the United States could find their way onto the European market, which could lead to lower prices in Europe. "The main effect will be a drop in demand for European products in the United States, less demand for Chinese products in the United States, and this means that these products will then try to find a market in Europe, which will generally lead to lower prices," Niclas Poitiers, a researcher at Bruegel, told Euronews. These lower prices for European consumers would however be bad news for certain businesses. "There are certain companies that are in direct competition with Chinese competitors. And for these companies, they could face stronger competition and they could also have difficulty with these lower prices. So there is a negative effect," Poitiers said. Drop in demand for EU products in the US? European companies exporting to the United States risk facing a drop in demand on the other side of the Atlantic as their products risk becoming more expensive. This could lead to a drop in their revenues and potentially jobs in Europe. "There are certain companies in certain sectors, like pharmaceuticals, for example, where there is a large proportion of exports and employment for things that go to the United States. But for most sectors, this represents a small proportion of production," Niclas Poitiers said. As a result of the deal, Trump has expressed hope that foreign companies will be encouraged to open factories in the US to avoid paying customs duties. However, the unpredictability of his agreements and the uncertainty surrounding the duration of these tariff barriers could, conversely, discourage European companies from investing in the US. 'Counterproductive' In Brussels, residents interviewed about the terms of the new agreement said they thought the deal would have little impact on their purchasing power. "I don't think it will have an impact on my daily life, maybe a little, but it will affect Americans more," said Ian, from England. He added: "I think tariffs are counterproductive. I think I'd prefer free trade and I think it's damaging for Americans to impose tariffs on everyone." Carolina, an Italian citizen, believes that the trade agreement "will have an impact on everyone in different ways, depending on the areas in which we work and the lives we lead." The EU is too highly dependent on the US and should have greater economic autonomy, she said.
Fashion Network
an hour ago
- Fashion Network
L'Oréal CEO says EU-US customs deal brings 'no good news' for cosmetics sector
L'Oréal CEO Nicolas Hieronimus says the new 15% US tariffs are 'not good news' for Europe's cosmetics industry, but notes the impact will be manageable for the French beauty giant. 'We're going from 0% to 15%, so we're not happy,' he said during the company's half-year results presentation. 'It's not good news for a cosmetics industry that is a European flagship.' 'In the end, Europe, with almost 500 million consumers, is going to pay higher customs duties than the UK,' Hieronimus lamented. The executive emphasized the importance of the cosmetics sector to the European economy, pointing out that it represents more than 3 million jobs across Europe, contributes €180 billion to European GDP, and is France's second-largest contributor to the balance of trade. 'I remain disappointed by this agreement,' Hieronimus said. 'The positive aspect is that it brings visibility and removes uncertainty. We can now plan ahead.' Speaking on behalf of the Value of Beauty Alliance—a coalition of major European players in the beauty and skincare industry including L'Oréal, Givaudan, IFF, Puig, and Cosmetic Valley—Hieronimus said the group will appeal to European leaders and trade negotiators to ensure stronger protections for the sector. He added that the group will also continue pushing for regulatory simplification. 'We can move faster so that we don't have customs duties on one side and regulations on the other,' he said. While Hieronimus acknowledged the new tariffs are 'manageable' for L'Oréal, he noted: 'At least this year, they won't have a major impact on our ability to deliver results.' The United States was L'Oréal's leading growth driver in the first half of 2025. The company generates 27% of its global sales in North America and manufactures half of what it sells in the US through its four local factories. To mitigate the impact of the tariffs, L'Oréal has stockpiled luxury products and fragrances and may implement slight price increases on some items. In June, the group also announced a deal to acquire US-based haircare brand Color Wow. Paris, July 29, 2025 (AFP)
Local France
an hour ago
- Local France
French union issues three-month strike notice as pressure steps up over budget cuts
The French union Force Ouvrière (FO), the country's third-largest union, has published a strike notice for the period of September 1st to November 30th - covering all workers in all sectors. The head of the union, Frédéric Souillot, reportedly sent a letter to French Prime Minister François Bayrou on Tuesday informing him of the strike notice. In the letter, Souillot called on "all workers, both private and public sector, to mobilise and strike against the budgetary measures presented on July 15th, with the strike period starting September 1st", TF1 reported. The union leader called budget proposals "brutal, unfair and ineffective measures," French media reported. While unions can issue months-long strike notices, the more usual pattern is to hold two or three-day actions within the period of the strike notice. France's largest union - the hardline CGT - has called for 'mobilisation' in the autumn but has not made any specific plans while the second-largest union, the CFDT, said they had not ruled out plans for strike action, Capital FR reported. A meeting of France's inter-syndical - the group representing all the country's major unions - is scheduled for September 1st. In mid-July, Bayrou presented the outline of his plan to save €40 billion, which could include eliminating two public holidays, in an attempt to tackle France's spiralling budget deficit. Advertisement As of Tuesday, a petition to 'say no to the Bayrou budget' launched by several French unions had collected over 280,000 signatures, and last week, a mysterious online collective issued a call for a 'total and unlimited' blockade of France from September. READ MORE: Protest group calls for 'total blockade of France' in September Debates in parliament on the budget are due to take place in September and October, and it is possible that the prime minister could be toppled over the issue if he loses a vote of no confidence. You can find the latest details on all planned strikes and protests in France in our strike section here.
