Local police are frequently arrogant and tough in dealing with young, North African immigrants, but not only in southern France. Large numbers of young French men and women are fleeing abroad for better jobs and to avoid France's record-high taxes. The United Kingdom alone counts some 300,000 French expatriates, and the numbers are climbing. A recent survey published by the daily Le Figaro showed that 48 percent of owners of small companies were considering shifting some production outside the country. Both Jospin and Chirac have proven unable to control dissidence and political infighting among their supporters.
Unemployment continues falling, as job creation expands rapidly.
Some regions report their unemployment rates dropped to nearly 5 percent in recent months. In April, the government's investment agency announced that last year this amounted to 447 projects, two more than in 1998, nearly a third from the United States. While cohabitation works smoothly because of cordial relations between Chirac and Jospin, even Jospin's critics concede that he successfully manages a strong, skilled team. Picking former Prime Minister Laurent Fabius as finance minister to replace Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who resigned in March amid corruption allegations, was considered a very smart and necessary move. The objective, long supported by Jospin, is to avoid continuing with the longer term starting in 2002, to make sure the presidential term coincides with that of the National Assembly.