By Emmanuelle DESTHIEUX, chargée de mission au Comité d’expansion économique du Val d’Oise
The aim of this presentation is to introduce the economy of the department of Val d’Oise and the place it takes in the European Union enlarged to 25 members.
Introduction of Val d’Oise
Location
Val d’Oise County is part of the greater Paris Region, located only a few kilometres northwest of the City of Paris. Val d’Oise County includes the following larger cities ( Argenteuil, Cergy-Pontoise, Sarcelles), and Paris Roissy-Charles de Gaulle International Airport. The location of Val d’Oise in the true centre of Europe represents a great asset for its economy.
Population
Val d’Oise has more than 1,122,000 inhabitants.
Transportation
Val d’Oise benefits from an exceptional situation in terms of transportation services.
The Roissy-Charles de Gaulle International airport is located in Val d’Oise and is one of the ten busiest airports in the world. It offers connections to the major cities in the world and is the hub of a transportation network for Europe and the main cities in France. The TGV high speed train and the RER commuter express rail also connects at Roissy-CDG International Airport. Major highways including the A16, the A15 and the A1 motorways serve all the business parks in Val d’Oise. Genevilliers, France’s largest container port, is just minutes away from Val d’Oise.
Higher education
Val d’Oise has nine universities with more than 20,000 students that specialize in technology, business, and economics. They offer regional companies the services of university laboratories, thus grouping efficient research teams.
The ECONOMY of Val d’Oise
Main characteristics
In the last thirty years, industries have expanded beyond Paris to the outlying suburbs. The expansion has fuelled the creation of no fewer than 90 industrial and business parks covering more than 10,000 acres. Cergy-Pontoise and Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport area remain the largest industrial areas.
Val d’Oise is home to a diverse range of complementary industries, based in a variety of established and emerging centers. Some of the dominant industries are advanced technology, computer hardware, industrial equipment, biotechnologies and cosmetics, electronics, metallurgy, chemicals and plastic processing operations.
Number of firms in Val d’Oise ( in December 2001) = 53 353
Val d’Oise region itself has created over 373,839 jobs (private sector only).
While industry is a net source of job creation, growth has been fastest in services, especially engineering, consultancy and insurance.
Main industries
Computer-hardware, industrial equipment, metallurgy, pharmaceuticals and cosmetic, aerospace, electronics, robot production (Val d’Oise is ranked first in France), plastic and food processing.
Major employers
While the majority of businesses in Val d’Oise are small to medium-sized, larger corporations are by no means absent and play a key role in the local economic life. Major French companies and more than 700 international companies have set up offices in Val d’Oise. Among them, 3M, Spie Amec, Batignolles, BP, Johnson, Air France Industry, Brother, General Motors, Dassault, Pionner, Sagem, Delphi, Yamaha Motors and Sharp.
The INTERNATIONAL ASPECTS of Val d’Oise economy
• Foreign investment
More than 700 international companies are already located in Val d’Oise. Leading the group is the United States with 153 companies, followed by Germany with 124. The United Kingdom has 98 companies in Val d’Oise, followed by Japan with 57.
• Import / export of the companies settled in Val d’Oise,
Exportation :
More than 2000 companies in Val d’Oise export on a regular basis.
A high increase in Val d’Oise’s exports between 2003 and 2004: +18 %
First rank for export in the Paris ‘region
Importation:
An increase in import : + 9 % between 2003 and 2004
Especially from the USA
• Impact of the European politics on the economy of Val d’Oise :
o Role - Objective 2 of the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund)
For the last 6 years, part of the Val d ‘Oise has benefited from European Funds (ERDF). Five cities in Val d’Oise were able to receive these funds. Financing for businesses settled in the area concerned were available. Thanks to these funds, firms could invest in new materials and employ engineers and highly educated people.
o Val d’Oise benefits from financing from European Structural Funds
It helps to create new infrastructure and to carry out big projects as DATAGORA, on the Charles de Gaulle airport, PLATO, ...
• “Ile de France Europe” : a permanent representation in Brussels
It helps to lobby the European institutions and to keep the Val d’Oise aware of the main trends of the Commission‘s policies.
• The role of CEEVO to help the development of firms on the European market
o Introduction : the Comité d’Expansion Economique du Val d ‘Oise
o The CEEVO participates at trade fairs worldwide and accompanies the region’s businesses at international exhibitions throughout the world.
o The CEEVO organises regular conferences on various European topics.
• Val d’Oise, (and in particular ,the CEEVO) is a founding member of EURADA : the European Federation Agency of Economic Development
It enables:
• The exchange of information about the regional development strategies
• The lobbying of European institutions
• Cooperation about economic development projects and experiences transfer in participating the European programs (E.g.: MEDA, IQADE…)
As an active member of EURADA, the CEEVO participated in several missions which consisted of best practice exchange.