On the labour market, Mr de Villepin has at least grasped the need both to bring down joblessness and to loosen rules that deter job creation.

ECONOMIST: Gloom in France

But some employers' groups, such as the Forum of Private Business, suggest the new rules will make the labour market less flexible, and job creation and recruitment will suffer.

BBC: Agency workers receive pay and conditions boost

How about rules impacting small business, the oft-noted engines of job creation?

FORBES: President Obama's State of the Union? Hyper-Regulated

And it orders a government-wide review of the rules already on the books to remove outdated regulations that stifle job creation and make our economy less competitive.

WSJ: Barack Obama: Toward a 21st-Century Regulatory System

This is chiefly linked to rigid labour-market rules and payroll charges on employers, which between them keep labour costs high and deter job creation.

ECONOMIST: French reform