I would like to take a look back at the press conference this morning where the Invest in France Agency’s new campaign to promote France’s attractiveness as an investment location was formally launched. The campaign will be rolled out this year in many countries around the world, specifically targeting the United States, China, India, Brazil, along with European and GCC countries.
Why then are we launching this campaign? Our aims are threefold: to take full advantage of the growing number of investments from these countries or world regions which harbor such strong potential; to correct any outdated or misguided beliefs about doing business in France where they might exist; and to capitalize on the very positive image that France enjoys abroad, thanks to the numerous reforms undertaken in the last three years, where it is seen as a responsive, dynamic and innovative country.
The campaign’s slogan – “France: Expect more” – will carry a message, from San Francisco to Rio de Janeiro, from Bangalore to Dalian, to foreign businesses everywhere: France can offer you more than you might expect; more entrepreneurial spirit, more creativity, more opportunities and visibility to develop your projects in Europe.
To reflect this, ten foreign companies who have already invested in France will relate their experiences in the Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Valor Econômico, The Times of India and China Business News, among other titles. The digital part of the campaign will offer variations on these themes. Ogilvy has been chosen as our partner, and Invest in France offices are involved worldwide.
France’s economic attractiveness can ultimately be gauged by the number of decisions taken to invest in the country: a press conference is arranged for March 9, 2010 when the IFA’s 2009 Report on job-creating foreign direct investment in France shall be unveiled.
David Appia
The World Economic Forum in Davos ended with a general consensus that although the worst of the global economic crisis is behind us, signs of recovery are fragile and collective action is still essential. The primary concern in 2010 is employment. According to Larry Summers, the United States is experiencing a “statistical recovery and a human recession.”
French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde was the keynote speaker at the Davos luncheon co-sponsored by the IFA and Deloitte
“Statistical recovery” ? Certainly not for foreign direct investment (FDI). According to UNCTAD estimates, global FDI flows plunged 39% in 2009, following a 14% decline in 2008. Merger and acquisition activity appears to have taken an even harder hit, with a 66% decrease in 2009, after a 35% drop in 2008.
This is the first occasion I have had to acknowledge the new IFA website going live a few weeks ago, which we hope you will find to be:
- clearer: the new site has been expressly redesigned with this in mind and has been supplemented by a new “Daily Motion – IFA” space, where videos featuring reaction and testimonials from foreign business executives are now hosted, along with IFA productions about France.
France is the #1 investment destination in Europe
- more open: better links towards IFA partners, regional development agencies and innovation clusters in particular, offering even more insights into the wealth and diversity of France’s regions.
- more welcoming: providing information to foreign businesses interested in France is obliging us to broaden the multilingual aspect of our website as new actors on the international investment scene grow in power and stature. In addition to English, German, Spanish, Chinese and Japanese, content will soon follow in other languages, such as Italian, Portuguese, Korean, Russian and Arabic.
- more interactive: this blog space is an invitation to exchange views about issues relating to international investment, France’s economic attractiveness and perceptions that foreign investors may have of the country.
I hope that all our readers enjoy using our new site, particularly those in Stockholm, where I was at the beginning of last week. Sweden is an important partner: over 700 dynamic and innovative Swedish companies are already doing business in France. More generally, Scandinavian countries have an enduring interest in our country, with over forty new investment projects in France given the go-ahead last year.
For the fourth year in a row, France has been ranked first in International Living’s quality of life index, which aims to provide Americans with an idea of the best destinations for expatriates in the world. Besides its exceptional health services and low crime levels, France is praised for its cultural edge, in which the small things in life all add to France’s charm.
A country of exceptional beauty, its pristine streets, splendid architecture and charming cafés all contribute to the fine, distinctive aesthetic qualities that France as a country takes great pride in. What’s more, the very essence of life itself is to be savored according to the editor of the publication, who cites the relaxed and sociable attitude of the French as a great reason for living there – ordinary pleasures such as food and drink are to be enjoyed… slowly.
