French tech firms warn immigration curbs could threaten AI ambitions

14/6/2024 18:18

        Senior bosses at leading French technology firms have warned curbs to immigration proposed by the far-right National Rally party pose a threat to the country's ambition to become Europe's leading AI hub.
        
        After heavy losses for his Renaissance party at the weekend's European Parliament election, President Emmanuel Macron called snap elections for the lower house of parliament, with a first round on June 30 and a run-off on July 7.
        
        Macron has made supporting homegrown tech companies a priority, making it easier for startups to hire from abroad, lobbying against European Union regulation he saw as too strict, and attracting investment from Amazon and Microsoft.
        
        But Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally (RN), which is predicted to win the most seats in the election, has pledged to reduce the number of migrant workers allowed into France and impose greater scrutiny on foreign investment.
        
        That could undermine the country's AI ambitions, tech executives say.