Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
of foreigners allowed to live in their country. They also worry
about changes to the culture and traditions of which they
are so proud. There are no easy answers to these concerns.
So, if you are going to settle in France and perhaps open
a business, it is important to understand the ethos of your
community and remember that France—along with all
the other 26 countries—adheres to all regulations of the
EU. In addition to the EU website (http://www.europa.
eu) mentioned above, there are several others that might
be helpful:
European Commission; website: http://eceuropa.eu
Price Waterhouse; website: http://www.pwcglobal.com
US Commercial Service; website: http://buyusa.gov/
europeanunion/doing_business.html
THE FRENCH ECONOMY
France is currently the world's fifth-largest economy. The
government has partially or fully privatised many large
companies, but retains controlling stakes in some, such
as Air France and France Télécom. It is also dominant in
the power, public transport and defence sectors. A major
manufacturing economy, France is noted for its automobile,
aircraft, machinery, chemicals and electronics industries.
PARIS BUSINESS SCENE
Although the official governmental policy is to decentralise
the French economy, the Greater Paris area remains dominant
in the economic scene. With a population hovering around
the 12 million mark, Île-de-France (Paris and its surrounds)
accounts for 70 per cent of all company headquarters in
France, 30 per cent of research and development and 25
per cent of the labour force. Not only is Paris the country's
political and administrative centre, it is also the centre of
attraction for the more than
70 million tourists who visit
France each year, making it
the most visited country in the
world. Paris is a centre for trade
throughout Europe. About 8,000
It is said that some 26 million
visitors come to Paris each
year and that tourism accounts
for some 140,000 jobs in
Paris—about 12 per cent of
the workforce.
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