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10 Reasons to Invest in France:


1. A world economic leader

• France is the 2nd economic leader in the European Union (source: IMF, 2011).
• It is among the world’s top ten exporters of goods and services (source: WTO, 2011).
• There are 39 French companies among the world’s leading 500 (source: Fortune Global 500, 2010).

2. Strong Foreign Investment

• France receives the most FDI in Europe with US$57.4 billion of inflows in 2010. It is the 3rd global FDI recipient, after the United States and China (source: UNCTAD estimates, 2011).
• France is 2nd in Europe for the number of job-creating foreign investments received and 1st for projects in industry and renewable energy (source: Ernst & Young, 2011).
• Over 20,000 foreign companies are already operating in France.

3. Access to Half a Billion Consumers

• France is at the heart of the European Single Market of 500 million consumers (source: IMF - April 2010).

4. Excellent International Communications

• Paris Charles de Gaulle airport is 2nd for passenger numbers and 1st for cargo in Europe (source: Airports Council International, 2010).
• Paris Le Bourget is Europe’s most successful business airport (source: Aéroports de Paris, 2010)
• In 2009, Marseille port was the 4th and Le Havre port was the 6th in Europe for tonnage (Source: Port of Rotterdam Authority, 2009).
• France has the 2nd most developed high-speed rail network in Europe, with 1896 km of rail lines for high-speed services (source: International Union of Railways, 2010).
• France has the 3rd most-developed road network in Europe, with over 11,000 km of motorways (source: European Union Road Federation (EURF), 2010).

5. Low Business Costs

• France has lower business set-up and operating costs than Germany, Italy, the United States and Japan (source: Competitive Alternatives, KPMG’s Guide to International Business Location, 2010).

6. Exceptionally Qualified and Productive Workforce

• France is among the world’s leading countries for investment in education; 6% of the GDP is spent on education, which is above the OECD average of 5.7% (source: OECD, Education at a Glance, 2010).
• France has the world’s 3rd most productive workforce (source: International Labour Organisation, 2009).

7. Attractive Tax Measures

• No local business tax (taxe professionnelle) on productive investments.
• France’s Research Tax Credit is the most appealing R&D tax incentive programme in Europe.

8. R&D and Innovation Leader

• France is 2nd in Europe and 6th in the world for the number of international patents filed (source: WIPO, January 2011).
• France has 71 innovation clusters, with 536 foreign company-members, fostering R&D through public-private partnerships (source: French Ministry for the Economy, Finance and Industry, 2011).
• France is one of Europe’s top recipients of foreign investment projects in R&D (source: Ernst & Young, 2011).
• France has more researchers per employees than Germany, the UK and the Netherlands (source: OECD, Main Science and Technology Indicators, December 2010).
• France has 21 research and higher education hubs (PRES) allowing higher education institutions and research bodies to share resources and create joint projects (source: French Ministry for Higher Education and Research, 2011).

9. Sustainable Development Initiatives

• France has set new targets for developing green buildings, renewable energy, green technology and sustainable transport, with 95 % of commitments made in 2008 already met or currently underway (source: The “Grenelle 2” Act, French Ministry for Ecology, Sustainable Development, Transport and Housing, 2010).
• The Greater Paris Project aims to make Paris and the Ile-de-France region into a dynamic and attractive “world capital”.
• The “National Investment Program” is dedicating €35 billion of funding to 5 strategic areas: higher education and training (€11 billion), research (€7.9 billion), SMEs and the industrial sector (€6.5 billion), sustainable development (€5.1 billion), and digital economy (€4.5 billion); (source: French government, 2010).

10. Excellent Quality of Life

• France is rated 2nd in Europe for quality of life.
• France is the world’s top tourist destination (source: UNWTO, 2010).
• The “French gastronomic meal” was added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list in November 2010 (source: UNESCO, 2010).

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