8th Choose France Summit: Sud Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur in the Top 3 for most economically attractive French regions

At the Choose France Summit that addressed the theme of “France, land of creativity”, held on 19 May in Versailles, Emmanuel Macron unveiled 53 new international investment projects in France worth €37.3 billion. These results were especially impressive considering the difficult global geopolitical and economic context.

With seven confirmed projects and eight projects likely to generate direct or indirect benefits, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur is maintaining the momentum it has built up over the past two years to attract international investment, particularly in the decarbonisation and digital sectors.

The South of France, leading the way for industrial decarbonisation in the Mediterranean

With concrete actions such as the “100% climate” budget voted by the Sud Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region in 2023 and the SYRIUS programme in Fos-sur-Mer, the region is establishing itself as a global showcase for decarbonisation and continues to attract projects that meet the objectives of industrial sovereignty and carbon neutrality in 2025. These include:

- DP WORLD (United Arab Emirates) 

- ECOCEM (Irland) 

- Hy2gen (Germany) & H2V (France)

The South of France, a prime destination for AI investment

With Europe’s premier technology park in Sophia Antipolis, global research centres, best-in-class infrastructure, a wealth of talent, and innovative companies, the South of France is establishing itself as a leading region for artificial intelligence. Three American companies are part of this thriving ecosystem:

- DIGITAL REALTY

- KYNDRYL

- PROLOGIS

In addition, NETFLIX (United States) is partnering with La Cinémathèque Française to create La Cinémathèque Marseille and is supporting local actors in identifying new film talent.

“Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur is confirming its appeal in 2025 with seven major projects in the fields of decarbonisation and digital technology. Several billion euros of investment and the creation of several hundred jobs reinforce our position among the top three most economically attractive regions,” said Renaud Muselier, President of the Sud Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region and Deputy President of Régions de France.

“The announcements made at this 8th Choose France Summit represent unprecedented results for Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, which has risen to the podium of France’s most attractive regions with seven projects announced for its territory and eight other national projects with direct or indirect benefits for the region. In 2024, the region already broke its record for attractiveness by attracting 125 projects from 27 countries that will create nearly 3000 jobs. That’s twice as many as ten years ago! We have also distinguished ourselves as Europe’s third most attractive region for research and development projects. All this results from the tireless work of risingSUD and its partners, the Sud Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region and Business France,” said Bernard KLEYNHOFF, President of risingSUD and Regional Councillor.

To learn more, read the media release (in French)

risingSUD contact: Antonin CHEF, International Business Unit Manager (set-up for incoming companies), Camille KLEIN-GONSOLIN, International Project Manager (regional economic attractiveness), & Virginie VIAL-ISNARD, Project Manager, Communication Media Relations