The President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, announced special support for the French press at a meeting with media representatives on Thursday, August 27th. It is a breath of fresh air for the sector.

The press is struggling

On the evening of Thursday, August 27th, leaders of national and regional newspapers were received at the Presidential Palace of the Elysée by Emmanuel Macron. The meeting was held together with ministers Bruno Le Maire (Economy) and Roselyne Bachelot (Culture).

Last year, the Head of State promised to help the print media overcome the challenges of the “digital transformation”. According to a media representative, the emergence of digital technology has affected advertising revenue, issue distribution and newsstand sales.

And the coronavirus outbreak and the lockdown have made the situation even worse.

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Emmanuel Macron submits a “sector plan”

In order to help the most affected operators (newsagents, overseas titles, publishers), Emmanuel Macron presented a vast “sector plan”, according to the Elysée. Its aim is to assist the digital transition of the French press and to support them with the losses caused by the coronavirus crisis.

The Parliament adopted €106 million in emergency aid for the press on July 30th, the Presidency recalls. The latter provided a further €377 million. The written press would therefore benefit from a total of 483 million euros in subsidies spread over two years.

This provides a real breath of fresh air for a sector that is currently in great difficulty.