While the State has long had a monopoly on economic policies, the role of local elected officials in this matter is now essential. In Hérault, some have understood this well: they are now bending over backwards to try to attract new businesses to their territory and support the development of those already established.
Elected officials are now expected on all fronts, including the economy. No question of leaving companies to fend for themselves! For Alain Barbe, mayor of Matelles and president of the Community of Communes of Grand Pic Saint-Loup, the involvement of elected officials in the economic development of their territory, for a long time minimal, has in fact become essential: “Local elected officials have historically been less involved in economic development because this responsibility was largely centralized, and support for businesses or job creation was mainly the responsibility of the State or large regions. But today, in a context increased decentralization and competition between territories, local elected officials play an increasingly decisive role”.
Since the law on the New Territorial Organization of the Republic (NOTRe) promulgated in 2015, economic development has in fact become a compulsory competence for communities of municipalities. So elected officials take the subject head on.
Béziers, Montpellier, Sète: each has its own development agency
In Hérault, several development agencies have emerged in recent years under the leadership of elected officials to attract businesses and stimulate the economic fabric, such as Béziers Pulse, the Development Agency and Transitions of the Métropole de Montpellier -both were born at the end of 2023-, from the economic agency of Pays Cœur d'Hérault or even from Blue–Invest in Sète Cap d'Agde Méditerranée. The latter, co-chaired by Sébastien Frey, mayor of Agde and President of the Hérault Méditerranée urban community, and François Commeinhes, mayor of Sète and President of Sète Agglopôle Méditerranée, offers tailor-made support to companies wishing to set up or develop in the region.
“The creation of the agency itself is a mark of strong support for the local economy. It reflects a common desire of the two urban areas to come together to increase support for the economy”explains Pascal Peintre, general manager of Blue Invest.
Concretely, the agency simplifies administrative procedures for companies, offers establishment sites adapted to varied needs (plots, workshops, offices) and promotes the sectors of the future present around the Thau Basin, such as the blue economy, the art of living, health and even the creative industries. The one-stop shop concept facilitates coordination between the different actors and reduces obstacles for entrepreneurs.
According to Pascal Peintre, “the region's elected officials have set themselves a challenge: progress in innovation. To achieve this, we created and structured in three years a network of eight support structures, which is gradually gaining strength: incubators like Gigamed in Bessan and Saint Thibéry or Flex in Sète; innovation platforms like BlueThauLab in Sète;.
The agency has also created a network of local ambassadors, made up of women and men business leaders with a strong reputation. Among them, Florie Tarbouriech, director of the eponymous company, from a family of oyster farmers who perpetuate the tradition of oyster cultivation while reinventing herself and innovating, or Jérôme Jausseran, President of Force sud, leader in the production and distribution of melons, fruits and vegetables based in Saint-Thibéry.
“Investors need to feel that there is political voluntarism”
Béziers Pulse also embodies the desire of the Béziers region to position itself as a dynamic and attractive economic player. Alban Gérard, director of economic development for the Béziers conurbation, explains the concrete actions carried out by the agency: “We have set up new events such as the Entrepreneurs' Fair, the Hackathon where we bring together companies and students to think about innovative ideas, or even Dionysud, the wine show of the great south, of which we are partners. We are also come personalities from the political or economic world for conferences, such as Arnaud Montebourg, Jean-Louis Borloo, François Lenglet. This helps to give pride to local entrepreneurs..
The agency has also set up a one-stop shop to support businesses in their establishment and growth, offering them a support network and facilitating access to the city's thirteen business parks. “Elected officials have long considered that the economic field was foreign to them. But seeing the closures of city center businesses multiply, they were gradually led to take an interest in it”continues Alban Gérard. For him, this involvement of elected officials reassures investors and boosts economic growth: “Private investors need to feel that there is political voluntarism, a line of action, an energy”.
A notable example of the role played by elected officials is the Mazeran economic activity park, in Béziers, which obtained the “turnkey site” label in April 2024. This system aims to accelerate the installation of industrial companies by facilitating administrative procedures. This 111 hectare site will notably host a gigafactory for green hydrogen by 2026, a project led by the company Genvia, spearheading the energy transition in the region. “Obtaining this label is the result of a deliberate political choice to protect these hectares for the entire hydrogen sectorexplains Alban Gérard. For two and a half years, no marketing or work has been undertaken in the South zone with this in mind. Our local elected officials have perfectly understood the challenges of this sector of the future and of excellence that generates jobs, they have considered the long term with courage, in order to accelerate the reindustrialization of the country”.
For the elected representatives of the community of communes of Grand Pic Saint-Loup, chaired by Alain Barbe, mayor of Matelles, action in favor of economic development again translates into well-defined local initiatives. “We created the Maison des Entreprises, to facilitate procedures and access to essential resources and partners of the economic ecosystem, particularly for setting up or seeking financing; launched the Emploi Pic Saint-Loup recruitment platform, accessible and free, to promote local employment and support businesses; encouraged local businesses to adopt sustainable and ethical practices with the ETHIQ Charter, which reinforces the area's image as a socially attractive space for businesses responsible”.
“Partners rather than competitors”
And rather than working in their own corner, in silos, as before, Hérault elected officials are increasingly relying on cooperation between territories and development agencies to maximize the impact of their initiatives. “We now operate more as partners than as competitors. With an obvious benefit for businesses in Hérault” assures Pascal Peintre. This dynamic partnership, which extends from Béziers to Sète and from Montpellier to Lunel, promotes job creation and stimulates the development of traditional or innovative sectors. “Make no mistake,” he smiles, “it is the entrepreneurs who create the economy, not us. We are here to create the conditions for their growth”. And that’s not nothing!
