Competitiveness: Is France ahead of the game?

Despite being outranked by giants such as Germany, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom, France has significant strengths such as large international companies, decarbonised energy and limited inequality. The results of the study are based on the synthesis of 32 international rankings covering areas such as education, taxation and openness to globalisation. 

“France is doing better than it thinks but clearly not as well as it could,” summarises Alexis Karklins-Marchay, Partner at Eight Advisory, who led the study. While the study highlights challenges such as government debt, high taxes, and mixed educational outcomes, it also emphasises the importance of different models that can lead to success in competitiveness.  

“There is no one way to be competitive: Switzerland and Ireland, for example, are unbeatable when it comes to taxation, while the Nordic countries tend to excel in social and environmental aspects. Each country has to find its specific path. However, the best countries have two characteristics in common: a business-friendly ecosystem and stable institutions in a robust macroeconomy,” explains Alexis Karklins-Marchay. 

Read the full article by Anne de Guigné in Le Figaro and the Eight Advisory Competitiveness Report 2023