The Council of the Department gives 60 million francs on three years to the office of economic promotion of the French Riviera whose missions and objectives have been put up.
The Council of the Department, during the vote of the department budget, has increased the subsidy awarded to CAD (Côte d'Azur Développement), the office of economic promotion of the French Riviera. This subsidy, which amount was of 15.2 million a year, is now up to 20 million francs a year. The previous plan which was spreading over five years, is now over three years, what allows CAD (17 people) to rely on a 60 million francs budget over three years. This have to be combined with the annual administration fees (2.780.000 francs) coming from other members (CCI NCA, Regional Council, Nice municipality and 22 other cities).
A target of 1.400 to 1.600 jobs created per year
However, this budget increase don't go without new missions and a higher bond performance regarding occupations. The new missions are the result of the break-up of the SAEM SACA (the semi public company Sophia Antipolis Côte d'Azur) which has had to abandon all the missions of public interest because of an European instruction. As the Symisa decided in November, CAD will have to deal with promotional operations and pre-marketing ones in Sophia Antipolis. So, a part of the budget increase (3 million francs a year) is dedicated to the CAD's involvement in the technopole and in associated parks.
The rest of the increase is linked to a more ambitious objective of creation of jobs. In a previous plan, the target was to create 1.200 jobs per year at least. As CAD has committed itself to create between 1.400 and 1.600 jobs a year, the target is higher.
An ambitious target. Of course, the occupation situation in turmoil, particularly thanks to Sophia Antipolis, has definitely straighten out in the department. However, the CAD challenge could be hard to achieve because of problems of real estate for companies (a very little number of premises available) on the one hand and a decreasing State support on the other. If the PAT (a bonus for national development) has been maintained, whereas, it is limited to R&D centers, what reduces by around 70% the number of files which could be presented. That is to say the impact that the bonus could have regarding attractiveness…