Matignon

"The brothers know that their case and their fate are no longer in the hands of the Élysée but Matignon, and that, as with other hot issues like steel, papermaking, the government wants to clean house. In the absence of a solution, liquidation could not be excluded. With Bernard Arnault, they have the opportunity to come out on top, and then, maybe arrangements can be made... Thus, on November 14, 1984, an agreement is signed between the brothers and Bernard Arnault."

"• He announces a takeover plan supported by a contribution of one and a half billion francs... excuse me for the little... Speaking of the Ferinel agreement, for him, this choice would betray "the nullity or complicity" of the State, and would amount to letting the group be dismantled to the benefit of an operator who only thinks of doing "real estate." He denounces the volatility of the brothers with the devastating slogan: "an agreement with the Willots is a weather agreement", while knowing that the solution to the BSF case must still go through them... For public authorities, the matter seems settled. They want things to move quickly. Gérard Bélorgey recounts: "One late November evening, on the snow-slush-covered highway between Lille and the coal mining district... I received a phone call from Matignon. Being the CEO of CBSF, and also the president of the subsidiary AUFINEC, which was central to the setup of the 1983 agreement with the Willots, and finally a signatory to various litigations we were forced into to clear the matter, I was indispensable. I was ordered to urgently go to Rue de Varenne to sign all necessary withdrawals so that the agreement sealed between the Willots and Bernard Arnault could be implemented..."