Competitive and Globalized
Competitive and Globalized
A Springboard into Europe
France is the only European country to offer such easy and quick access to neighboring countries, with key destinations within a 2,000-km (1250-mile) radius of Paris reachable in just a few hours. Complete freedom of movement of persons exists throughout European countries which also belong to the Schengen Area.
France has one of the longest and safest road networks in Europe, with more than 11,000 km (nearly 7,000 miles) of highways and 1 million km (620,000 miles) of roads.
TGV high-speed trains greatly reduce journey times between French and European cities, in safety and comfort. Paris to London takes only 2 hours and 15 minutes!
France’s Atlantic, Mediterranean and North Sea coasts link the country to other continents. Five of Europe’s main ports are in France and each of them is easily accessible by road or by rail. They can also be accessed via highly efficient waterways centralized on the rivers Seine, Rhône and Rhine.
With airports at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle and Orly, Paris is a key airline hub, leading the way in Europe in terms of cargo traffic and mail, while it is the continent’s second busiest in terms of passenger numbers.
France has one of the highest take-ups of electronic communications in Europe; 82% of the French population owns a mobile phone and 28% have access to broadband internet. With 17.7 million subscribers in 2008, the broadband internet market is developing rapidly, all the more so as telecommunication rates in France are among the lowest in the European Union, while network coverage is also outstanding.