Tribune. Since the disappearance of the Soviet Union, even though the legal framework is unstable, Russia presents the characteristics of a liberal economy, rather open to foreign investment. As defined by the laws of 1999 and 2008, the freedom of establishment is, as a general rule, guaranteed. The capital participation in the capital of a local company is authorized.
Now there are reporting obligations to the Russian Bank, as well as specific authorization requests to the foreign investment control commission, necessary for foreign investment in certain strategic sectors such as natural resources, the energy, transport, communications and the defense industry.
In addition, a 2015 law limits the foreign ownership of the Russian media at 20%. Foreign investment flows in Russia are very significant. They reached a summit of 68 billion euros in 2008 to stabilize around 30 billion euros per year (compared to France attracts an average of about 25 billion euros per year). Leaded by the health crisis, they dropped 95% in 2020, to 1.4 billion euros, compared to 29 billion euros in 2019.
500 French companies in Russia
The foreign investment stock in Russia was 441 billion euros in 2017. At that time, France was the third foreign investor, behind Germany and the United Kingdom. It should be noted that the positions balance almost if we consider that Russia also invests abroad (36.8 billion euros in 2017) and holds a stock of investments in order of 380 billion euros (value 2017).
According to the Ministry of the Economy, more than 500 French companies (including 35 groups of CAC 40) operate in Russia. In 2020, despite the COVID, French exports to Russia reached 5.2 billion euros, making Russia the seventh external market of France, outside the European Union.
Among the big names in the French economy present in Russia, we note companies like Auchan (39,000 employees, 277 stores), Leroy Merlin (35,000 employees, 107 stores, 1.3 billion euros. Investments), Danone (9,000 employees, 15 factories, 2.5 billion euros of investments), Saint-Gobain (2,000 employees, 9 production sites, 0.5 billion euros of investment), LVMH (4,000 employees, 140 stores), Société Générale (2.1 billion euros of investment, a subsidiary, Rosbank, whose activities represent, in 2021, 2.8% of the net banking product and 2.7% of the Net income), Schneider Electric (8,000 employees, 5 factories, 1 billion euros of investments) and total (9 billion euros of investments, 1 production plant and several participations in major projects. infrastructure).
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