Choose France: Emmanuel Macron announces more than 20 billion euros in foreign investments

Nothing but money, nothing but money. More than €20 billion of foreign investment in France will be announced on Monday, May 19, at the eighth Choose France summit, Emmanuel Macron announced this Friday, May 16. There will be "more than fifty" announcements, "and we will pass the €20 billion mark," the President declared during an interview with a dozen regional press outlets. This harvest would be the largest ever announced since the launch of this event. Last year, €15 billion worth of projects were announced.

More than 200 business leaders from around the world are expected in Versailles, west of Paris, on Monday for this economic event, which will allow them to meet with their peers and members of the French government, some of whom will also meet the President himself, to discuss investment projects in France. 178 projects have been announced since the first edition, of which only 11 have been abandoned, according to Emmanuel Macron.

According to the EY firm's annual barometer, France has been ranked the most attractive country in Europe for the number of foreign investments in 2024 , with 1,025 international companies having chosen France. But remains far behind in the number of jobs created per project, with only 30, compared to 48 in Germany and even 125 in Spain. "We are very strong in terms of research and development, activities that are less job-intensive. […] But behind that, this creates innovation in France," explains Emmanuel Macron, for whom this is a "key" sector.

"We need to accelerate simplifications at national and European level, deepen the single market, and have a much more aggressive energy policy," he adds. We also need to have "a much stronger policy to protect our internal market," Emmanuel Macron declares, because "this is clearly what is causing us a problem today compared to our Asian competitors."