(Bloomberg) -- France is eying investments in strategic companies and conducting a review of its corporate assets, the country’s finance minister told Les Echos newspaper just after the government offered to buy Atos SE’s advanced computing business.
Antoine Armand said a review of the country’s official line on state shareholdings was initiated in the past few weeks by his teams alongside the Defense Ministry and Prime Minister Michel Barnier.
“This means investing in companies that are strategic and important to national sovereignty,” Armand said in an interview published Tuesday. “It’s up to us to be vigilant and ready to intervene, taking into account the new geopolitical context and the presence, or absence, of long-term French private investors.”
The minister added that “the guidelines of this approach will also involve a portfolio review,” without giving details of companies concerned.
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