Hauts-de-France a winner in first ever Choose France Awards

The first ever “Choose France” Awards

The “Choose France” Awards are intended to reward foreign investors who have chosen to have a base in France and the regions that have welcomed them. The ceremony was organised by Business France, the French Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs and the National Agency for Territorial Cohesion. Five awards were made for:

Innovative investment
Investor Country
Export “From France We Go Global”
Regional Attractiveness
Special jury prize Choose France 2019

Hauts-de-France wins the award for “regional attractiveness”

The Hauts-de-France region won the “regional attractiveness” category after being nominated for a prize in the Choose France Awards. The prize is given to the French region with the best results in attracting investment projects. It was presented yesterday, Thursday, November 21, 2019, to representatives from the region: André-Paul Leclercq (Chairman of the Economic Development Commission of the Hauts-de-France Region), Luc Doublet (Deputy Chairman of Nord France Invest) and Yann Pitollet (CEO of NFI). The prize rewards the Hauts-de-France for its pro-active approach in attracting jobs to the region. The nominees in this category were: Ile de France, Grand Est, Auvergne Rhône Alpes, Occitanie and Hauts-de-France.

What does the prize for regional attractiveness reward?

This honour reinforces Hauts-de-France’s strategic role in making France attractive to investors. The region regularly appears near the top of polls and barometers of the country’s attractiveness. Hauts-de-France is, for example:

2nd most attractive region in France in terms of job creation, according to the Business France report of 2018
3rd most attractive region in terms of numbers of projects according to EY’s 2019 attractiveness barometer

Here are some figures which demonstrate the appeal of Hauts-de-France:

+5,000 jobs created by the FDI in 2018*
+2,000 foreign-owned companies**
165,000 employees working in foreign-owned companies**
85% of foreign companies already established here recommend the region***

* Business France ranking 2018 / ** ORECE study 2019 / ***KPMG study 2017

A second trophy for the Hauts-de-France region

Yesterday, Toyota Motor Manufacturing France was also awarded the 2019 Special Jury Prize. Established for 20 years in the Valenciennes region, the Japanese company regularly invests in its site. Which contributes to making the Hauts-de- France the 1st French automotive region! In the same spirit, Nord France Invest rewards every 3 years foreign companies established in the Region during International Investment Awards. In 2018, at the 3rd edition, Altimance (UK), BYD France (China), AstraZeneca (UK/Sweden), MBK Industrie (Japan) and AGCO (USA) respectively won the following prizes: