Title Corporate

Paris Region, a rich, dynamic, diversified, competitive, creative and innovative economy.

Ile-de-France is the French name for the Paris region, including the urban core and the commuting field around it. The Paris region is France’s foremost economic region, and also one of the leading economic regions in the world with a GDP approaching that of the Netherlands, Poland or the State of Texas. In 2006, its GDP per inhabitant was €43 370 and accounted for more than 28% of national wealth or 4.5% of that of the European Union.

Administratively, the Paris region is one of 22 regions in France and is made up of 8 “départements” (counties) and 1,281 “communes” (municipalities), including the cities of Paris and Versailles and the business district of la Défense. It has 11.5 million inhabitants, or 19% of the population of France.
Another feature of the region is that its population is younger than the national and European averages.

The Paris region’s economic success rests on its concentration of transport facilities which provide businesses with quick easy access to a European market of 495 million consumers. Its rail network, Europe’s fastest thanks to the famous TGV, gives it direct access to Brussels, London, Geneva, Lausanne, Cologne, Turin and Milan among others. The international airports of Paris - Charles-de-Gaulle to the North and Paris-Orly to the South complement this accessibility and place the region as the second airport hub in Europe. The presence of the Seine and a number of other rivers also makes it possible to transport goods by waterway into the heart of the conurbation. With 70 ports, the region ranks as Europe’s second river transport platform. Full integration into the eurozone and the Schengen treaty area provides for easy mobility of goods, capital and people.

Internal transport, always difficult in the world’s major conurbations, is facilitated here by the presence of numerous transport infrastructures (210 km of metro, 1,400 km of RER (Regional Express Railway) and railways, 3,000 km of bus routes, 2,100 km of trunk roads and motorways). To further its development, the French government and Paris Regional Council are continuing to invest in the modernisation and reinforcement of these infrastructures.

The Paris region, with an international reputation for tourism and luxury goods, also offers exceptional economic and technological resources.

Among its particular qualities that deserve to be highlighted are the following:
    –     The Paris region has the world’s second largest concentration of corporate headquarters going by Fortune magazine’s ranking of the world’s 500 largest companies.
        The Paris region also attracts many multinational companies. In 2007, Paris Region ranks as France's top region and Europe's second region for foreign investment. Paris Region hosted 182 projects (start-ups, expansions and take-overs) representing a potential 10,398 jobs, i.e. 29% of     the national total for projects, 30% of the national job total.

    –   The Paris region has retained a strong industrial tradition represented by a high density of technology companies including large groups and start-ups, the presence of centres of competitiveness of international repute, and the coveted status as the most important technological and scientific region in Europe.
   
    –     Although industry is still relatively important by comparison with London for example, services provide around 81% of jobs in the Paris region. All types of services are present, from convenience stores to commercial law firms through design companies.
       
    –     It is the largest employment catchment area in Europe, and its workforce is regarded as highly  qualified. Nearly half of managerial staff working in France are concentrated here, with a much higher proportion in some industries such as finance, video game design, private research and media.   
        Many higher education and research establishments (universities and graduate schools) in the fields of information technology, mathematics, telecommunications, renewable energy, biotechnology, management and international trade are located in the region and form part of the European elite;
   
    –     The Paris region is fully integrated in the global economy and has many employees from all over the world, attracted also by the exceptional environment offered in the region of the City of Light!

    –     Its high speed communication networks give businesses in the Paris region the benefits of  advanced communications technology that can boost their development enormously. All municipalities in the Paris region are connected to the ADSL 2+ network, and are fully covered by the 3G / 3G+ networks.
        Colossal investment is being put into Wi-Fi and WiMax.
   
    –     The Paris region also offers the widest range of commercial property in Europe. Offices, business premises, warehouses and other properties are highly diversified in their location, environment and price.
    –     Finally, its history and its cultural environment are still huge attractions in the Paris region, and Paris in particular. For several years, it has been the top tourist destination in the world.
        It is a major world centre for trade fairs, professional congresses and other exhibitions: more than 1,700 events were held there in 2005. Nine million visitors come each year.