Title Corporate

2001: Invest in France Agency (IFA) is established

Invest in France Agency was established under the New Economic Measures Law of 15 May 2001. IFA is a public industrial and commercial body (EPIC), placed under the responsibility of the Minister for Economy, Finance and Industry, and the Minister for Regional Development. The Agency is responsible for promoting, prospecting and facilitating international investment in France. IFA works closely with local authorities to achieve this objective.

 

1992: New resources

In 1992, the French government decided to further extend France’s policy of attracting international investment by creating within the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industry the position of “Special Ambassador for International Investment”, whose mission involved organizing and coordinating efforts aimed at

154 members of staff in 2007, 72 of which are based in 21 offices around the world

prospecting international investment. A small team of ten colleagues was set up around the Special Ambassador for International Investment.
The same year, in order to make France generally more attractive for international investments that create jobs and wealth, the French Delegation for Development and Regional Action (DIACT) strengthened its economics division in Paris and created the Invest in France Network  whose aim was to bring together regional development organizations, public and private sector industrial corporations, administrative services and financial institutions. A partnership was established whose aim was to combine prospecting efforts and coordinate direct action.

On the basis of the new law, Invest in France Agency (IFA) became the sole national agency responsible for a strategy that employed government resources working in partnership with local authorities, in accordance with recommendations made in the 1995 report issued by the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

1969: First office opens overseas

In 1969, the creation of the first DIACT office in New York, marked the start of a network whose objective was to prospect and facilitate international investment in France. In 1970, offices opened in Tokyo, Japan, and Frankfurt, quickly followed in 1972 by offices in the UK, Sweden and Switzerland. The Chicago and Los Angeles offices opened the same year. Lastly, in 1973, an office opened in Madrid covering Barcelona and Bilbao. The offices adopted the “Invest in France” title and became, within French Embassies, the departments responsible for promoting and prospecting international investment in France. Today, there are 17 “Invest in France” offices around the world (four in North America, eight in Europe and five in Asia) that cover most of the industrialized world.