I like this quote from Ann Mettler of the Lisbon Council, concerning France’s economic policies:
“France has not internalized a very important transition that is happening in Europe right now, which is the shift from the industrial economy to the knowledge and services economy,” said Ann Mettler of the Lisbon Council, a market-oriented research group based in Brussels. “Its interest groups, which are very strong, are still trying to preserve the industrial age.”
Sums it up pretty nicely.