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High Standard Infrastructure

As the World's fourth main exporter and importer, France combines concentration with diversity where its logistic resources are concerned. Evenly distributed population growth and economic expansion have given rise to an extensive communications network and more and more centres of trade and industry.

A great range of French Ports

Seven autonomous Ports (Dunkirk, Le Havre, Rouen, Nantes, Saint-Nazaire, Bordeaux, Marseilles and Guadeloupe), which control enormous port areas, handle over 80 % of sea freight. Twenty-two ports in metropolitan France and on French territory overseas have officially been declared of national importance.

The French Ports play an integral part in national and regional development, possessing high performance modern facilities, excellent harbour capacity, extensive storage and distributions areas. With over 300 million tonnes, they handle half of all foreign trade.

The main French ports have high-performance computer systems which help to make the entire logistics chain more efficient and ensure prompt and reliable service at ports. These systems can communicate easily with all other major ports accross the globe.

Many Airports

Because of its numerous urban and industrial centres, France has a particularly high number of airports. The main French Airports (Roissy-Charles de Gaulle in particular) have European express-delivery handling centres on site.

French Ports and Airports are international dispatching points. As vital links in the multimodal transport chain, they enjoy excellent connections in the form of major European roads, motorways and railways (especially high-speed trains) and the main inland waterways. They also have efficient combined-transport systems and logistics networks.

Ports and Airports might be the ideal location to organize the manufacture, distribution and marketing of goods for Europe, Africa, the Near and Middle East, and Mediterranean countries.

The Compagnie Nouvelle de Conteneurs (CNC) has established a transport schedule for sea-container delivery enabling sea freight from the main French ports to be distributed daily throughout the whole country.
The "Quality Net" intercontainer's European Network, hubed in the French city of Metz (the interchange point), links the main French ports with surrounding European countries (Austria, Germany, Italy, Spain and Central Europe).

Special Tax-free Business Areas

At French Ports and Airports, companies can benefit from all economic Customs tariffs in force all over the French Territory. However, they can also take advantage of some particularly attractive special arrangements :

• Free warehousing, whereby goods can be stored, processed and disposed of exclusive of duties and taxes and with greatly reduced Customs formalities. This Customs procedure applies both to Customs warehouses run by Port authorities or commercial warehouse keepers and to the private premises of a company established in the Port or Airport area.

• Fiscal warehousing, whereby goods can be stored, processed and disposed of exclusive of Value Added Tax and with reduced administrative formalities.

Embassy of France in the US - October 5, 2001