• Over 700 companies with foreign capital located in the Bouches-du-Rhône
Provence is one of the top French destinations for direct foreign investment and a host to a number of major companies such as STMicroelectronics, Katoen Natie, SAP, IKEA, Coca-Cola, Exxonmobil, Lyondell Basell, Monster, Merck, Krupp, Kingfisher Group, NYK Line, Pirelli, BMW...
• A consular city and international organizations in Provence
Marseille, with 72 diplomatic representations and 6 foreign or franco-foreign Chambers of Commerce, is the second consular city in France.
Moreover, the strategic position of Provence at the heart of the Mediterranean Arc is a pull factor for international agencies who chose Marseille to move their action forward.
These agencies include:
- The World Water Council,
- The World Bank Institute,
- A branch of the European Parliament and a representative of the European Commission
- UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization),
- ACUNS (European Center of the Academic Council of the United Nations System)
• Large-scale projects in the Bouches-du-Rhône
Over the past ten years, large-scale projects have been developing in the Bouches-du-Rhone, including:
- ITER, an R & D international project with a € 10 billion budget in the field of nuclear fusion.
- Euroméditerranée in Marseille, an urban renewal and economic development operation on a European scale.
- The Port of Marseilles-Fos, with the Fos 2XL or 3XL plans for expansion of the container terminal.
• Provence : A Land of Welcome for foreigners
In addition to schools offering international education such as the Lycée Georges Duby High School in Luynes (Aix-en-Provence) and the International School of Manosque, near the ITER site, several foreign cultural associations and institutes are located in Provence, among which the British American Institute, the Maison de Tübingen, Noria (Franco-Spanish Cultural Association), Dante Alighieri etc.
