France, a discreet presence in Cuba – Challenges.fr

Havana (AFP) – France, 10th economic partner of Cuba, maintains ongoing relationships with the island, although its presence is far from being able to compete with that of Venezuela or China, countries close to the Cuban regime .

In 2013, France has traded with Cuba to the tune of 278 million euros, but this trade amounted to only 180 million in 2014.

A decrease mainly attributable the fall of Cuban imports of cereals and the temporary suspension of a credit line guaranteed by Coface, according to the Embassy of France in Havana.

The Rum represents about half of Cuban exports to France, which mainly exports to Cuba wheat, agro-chemicals and transport equipment.

About sixty French companies are active on the island, including through partnerships with Cuban state entities.

Thirteen companies are established in the form of joint ventures or association contract and 20 in the form of branches. They are present in the key sectors of the local economy (food processing, tourism, boating, construction, energy, industrial equipment, transport …)

Among the major companies present on the hexagon Cuban territory include Bouygues, Pernod-Ricard (main French investor in the joint venture Havana Club), Air France and Total

-. 700 French registered in Cuba –

France is the fourth largest investor on the island, after Spain, Canada and Italy.

In addition, Paris holds about a third of 15 to 16 billion in debt owed by the island in the Paris Club.

In Cuba, the number of French expatriates is low. In April, the register of French installed in Cuba there were only 696, of which less than 30% of bi-national.

tourism side, the number of French who visit the island each year is growth (+ 14% between January 2014 and January 2015) and French nationals are placed in fifth place of the most assiduous visitors.

But with a little over 100,000 annual visitors, the French are very far behind the Canadians, who represent more than a third of the three million tourists who visit the island each year.

Only authorized foreign cultural centers on the island, two French Alliance in Havana and Santiago de Cuba (far east) make recipe and now numbers several thousand students.