Dijon EPLAAD
Key Competitive Attractions
Dijon is the leading metropolis in Burgundy for quality of life and work. It was classed as "the most attractive French city" for three consecutive years by the magazine L’Entreprise, in the category for agglomerations with 200,000 to 500,000 inhabitants. It was also classed as the third most promising French city for starting a business.
Dijon and its agglomeration have an exceptional geographic location. Situated at the heart of the most important road and rail crossroads in Eastern France, Dijon benefits from proximity to France’s three leading economic regions: the Paris region, the Rhone-Alpes and the Lorraine and Alsace metropolises. Approximately 40% of European and 65% of French traffic pass through the Dijon corridor, which is intersected by several European transport routes. Few French agglomerations can boast such an advantageous location, providing such attractive potential for businesses.
EPLAAD
- EPLAAD stands for Local Public Organisations for the Development of the Dijon Agglomeration. It unites the SEMAAD , the SPLAAD and the GIE.
- The SEMAAD, created in 1961, works in the competitive economic sector across 116 communes in and around Dijon.
- The SPLAAD was set up in 2009 and is dedicated to the development of the agglomeration’s central residential areas and economic activity parks.
- The GIE was created in order to unite the human resources and administration (law, finance, communication, quality control, sustainable development) of the two organisms.
- EPLAAD is the central management system of the three organisations, ensuring the efficiency and success of their work.
Assistance and Support For New Business Investors
The SEMAAD has 46 years of experience in urban development and has established excellent relationships with independent architects and landscape artists.
EPLAAD welcomes and supports sustainable development projects of all sizes. Eligible projects can receive the following help:
- Preliminary research
- Project conception and design
- Project planning
- Creation of virtual images
- Land studies
- Construction
Existing Business Base
There are over 14,000 businesses located in Dijon and its agglomeration, of which 580 offer professional services, such as accountancy, marketing and legal advice, to businesses.
Dijon’s economic growth in the 20th century came about as a result of its central location on the Paris-Lyon-Marseille rail route and the fact that it is the starting point of routes leading to Besancon, Belfort, Nancy, Italy and Switzerland. This strategic position allowed for goods exchanges and led to the development of a variety of industries, including metallurgy, food and drink production, clothing and textiles, electronics, tobacco production, pharmaceuticals, building materials and the production of musical instruments.
Today, it is the tertiary sector that is developing the most in Dijon.
