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One of the largest economies in the European Union and home to approximately 67
million people, France is a key consumer market and a gateway to Europe.
As an investment location, 20,000 foreign-owned companies do business in
France, employing nearly two million people. Foreign investors account for 45.3%
of holdings in the market capitalization of CAC 40 companies while the country also
attracts foreign industrial projects.
The country is also promoting innovation, ranking third in the world’s top 100 most
innovative countries. Doing business in France is facilitated by the fact that France
owns Europe’s largest road network, enjoys highly competitive electricity rates and
ranks second among OECD countries for telecommunications networks.
France is known for its outstanding expertise in many sectors, including:
- Aerospace, Defense & Security (Safran, Thalès, Zodiac, EADS, Airbus, Dassault,
DCN, SAGEM, Alcatel, Eurocopter)
- Automotive (PSA Peugeot Citroën, Renault)
- Energy, Oil & Gas (Total, EDF, Areva, Veolia, ENGIE formerly GDF Suez)
- Infrastructure & Construction (Bouygues, Vinci, Eiffage)
- Transportation & Aviation (Alstom, SNCF, Air France, Airbus)
- Healthcare & Pharmaceutical (Sanofi, Pasteur, Stallergenes)
- Telecommunications (Numericable, Orange, Free)
- Banking (BNP, Crédit Agricole, Société Générale, BPCE)
- Cosmetics and Luxury Goods (L’Oreal, Dior, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, L’Occitane,
Bourjois, Lancôme, Sephora, Yves Rocher).
Growth areas include big data, cleantech, medtech, ehealth, fintech, smart cities and
ecommerce in addition to commerce, retail and service industries. All these sectors
attract domestic and foreign investors, and notably Israeli ones.
Israel - France Business Relationship
According to public records, there are 80 Israeli companies operating in France,
employing more than 4,500 people. France is the second country in Europe, after
The country is also promoting innovation, ranking third in the world’s top
100 most innovative countries.
Doing
Business in
France