Offering itself as a base for the European market, France is inviting investments by Indian companies in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, IT and automotive — where Indian companies are competitive —as well as in renewable energy, logistics and food processing sectors.
The French inward investment promotion agency, Invest in France Agency (IFA), is organising a series of road shows across the country to create awareness about its policies, incentives, and legal procedures.
Speaking at a seminar organised by IFA and CII here on Friday, Guillaume Page, inward investment officer, IFA, said the French government was improving business climate through labour reforms and tax incentives. It has done away with fixed working hours and made it negotiable at the company level within a range of 35 to 48 hours a week.
The French government is also offering interest-free loans covering up to 40 percent of the project cost for investments of $ 5 billion and which create at least 25 jobs in France. It would also offer tax reimbursement up to 40 percent of R&D investments in the first year, and 30 percent in the following years, Page said.
The bilateral trade between the two countries was $ 9 billion last year and is expected to touch $ 12 billion by the end of 2012. As an investment destination, France was cheaper than United States, Italy and Germany but was roughly equal to the UK, Page said. While 100 Indian companies now have operations in France compared to 15 in 2005, French companies in India employ 200,000 people compared to 15,000 in 2005.
France has opened two new consulates this week at Kolkata and Bangalore to facilitate faster visa processing. It is issuing a new category of visa that allows multiple short-period entries within a year.