Between 2020 and 2024, the French government provided an average of 26.3 billion euros in annual support to key sectors such as manufacturing, energy production, water management, and waste treatment. This represents a 36% increase compared to the average support levels from 2015 to 2019, according to the Court of Auditors, the body responsible for ensuring the proper use of public funds. The increase is partly attributed to the response to the health crisis caused by the coronavirus, but even after the pandemic, support levels remained higher than pre-2020 levels in 2023 and 2024. This support includes measures such as reductions in social security contributions, subsidies, loans, and investments. The Court of Auditors detailed these figures in a "structural note" released recently. It explains that the 26.3 billion euros includes 10.5 billion euros in reductions of general social security contributions. The note also accounts for subsidies, which averaged 9.3 billion euros annually, as well as equity investments, loans, and repayable advances. When including support for renewable energy production, local government subsidies, and research programs managed by the European Commission, the total support for the post-pandemic period reached 15.8 billion euros—an increase of 37.4% in current euros compared to earlier years. This financial backing has had a significant impact on employment and economic value. The supported industries employed 3.2 million people in 2026 and accounted for 5.1% of the sector’s added value between 2020 and 2024. It is important to note that these figures do not include public procurement, which also plays a major role in supporting industry, particularly in the defense sector. In 2023, the French Ministry of Defense placed orders worth 16.4 billion euros with industrial companies based in France. Additionally, equity investments made by the State Participation Agency (APE) and Bpifrance in the industrial sector averaged 4.3 billion euros per year between 2020 and 2024, compared to 1.9 billion euros between 2015 and 2019. These investments are part of a broader trend where more countries are providing subsidies to their industrial sectors. The Court of Auditors highlights that since 2005, industrial support has grown significantly, multiplying by 20 in China and by 8 globally, compared to a sixfold increase in the European Union. In 2024, such support accounted for 3.1% of revenue for industrial companies in China, compared to 1.2% in North America and just 0.5% in the EU.