Boosting a broken system

France’s researchers welcome EU Covid-19 funds but continue to fear creeping market forces

In June, the European Commission endorsed French spending plans under the Recovery and Resilience programme, a fund designed to help EU economies bounce back from the coronavirus pandemic. But the funds may have little impact on the ground, as France marches towards another bitter presidential election.

The country has already received €5.1 billion as its first payout from a €39.4bn total share of the fund. Environmental measures are high on the list of spending priorities, notably hydrogen energy, as well as the so-called “digital transition” and cloud computing—all of which match France’s national scientific interests.