“This event helps reinforce Catalonia’s position as one of the most attractive business destinations for French companies looking to grow in Southern Europe”
Pol Gibert, Secretary General of the Ministry for Business and Labour
Catalonia boosts France business connections as Barcelona prepares for the Tour’s Grand Départ
03 Jul 2026
ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment and Business France have organized an event to identify business opportunities among some 100 Catalan and French companies with operations or interests in each other’s markets.
Catalonia is strengthening business ties with France on the occasion of the Tour de France Grand Départ, which will take place in Barcelona this weekend.
Taking advantage of the first stages in Catalonia of the world’s most important cycling race, ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment, the agency for business growth belonging to the Ministry for Business and Labour, and its French counterpart, Business France, organized an event this Friday at the Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site.
The event brought together around 100 Catalan and French companies with operations or interests in each other’s markets to exchange experiences and explore business opportunities. The event opened with institutional remarks from Pol Gibert, Secretary General of the Ministry for Business and Labour, and Kareen Rispal, France’s Ambassador to Spain.
"The Tour de France sets off from Catalonia this Saturday," said Pol Gibert, Secretary General of the Ministry for Business and Labour. "This opportunity allows us, on the one hand, to celebrate sport and, on the other, to highlight that the connections between France and Catalonia are not measured only in kilometers, but also in trade, investment, innovation, and a shared vision for growth."
Along these lines, he added, "this event helps reinforce Catalonia’s position as one of the most attractive business destinations for French companies looking to grow in Southern Europe. In fact, more than 1,300 subsidiaries of French companies already operate in Catalonia, making France the second-largest country of origin for foreign companies established here."
According to the French Ambassador, Kareen Rispal, "the Tour de France is much more than a simple sporting competition: it is a celebration of the regions, of overcoming one's own limits, of team spirit and cooperation. These values resonate deeply with the entrepreneurial spirit we share".
During the event, attendees learned about some of the latest strategic French investment projects, as well as investment opportunities in Catalonia, presented by Jordi Ortiz, Director of Catalonia Trade & Investment, ACCIÓ’s foreign investment attraction unit. Bertrand Gaillard, Investment Director for Spain and Portugal at Business France, also presented the most relevant development plans and business opportunities in France for Catalan companies.
In addition, during a roundtable moderated by Christophe Arnoul, Director of ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment’s Foreign Trade and Investment Office in Paris, Catalan company Vueling and French company Rossignol shared their experiences of expanding their businesses in France and Catalonia, respectively.
France is Vueling’s most important market outside Spain, while Rossignol, a brand best known for manufacturing skis, has a production plant in Catalonia employing more than 400 people, one of the French sports group’s most significant facilities. Both companies also discussed the challenges of making sustainability a strategic pillar of their activity, and how this can help strengthen their businesses in the medium and long term.
Finally, French professional cyclist Pierre Rolland, winner of the Tour de France’s young rider classification in 2011, gave a presentation on the current sporting landscape of the race and shared experiences and anecdotes from elite cycling. The event concluded with a networking session for attendees.
Trade relations between Catalonia and France are moving at a strong pace
Trade relations between two markets as close as Catalonia and France have traditionally been intense. France is the leading destination for Catalan exports, which reached €15.857 billion in 2025, accounting for 16% of Catalonia’s total exports worldwide. In fact, the number of regular exporters to France reached an all-time high last year, with 4,464 companies.
Conversely, France is also one of Catalonia’s leading investor markets. It is the second-largest country of origin for foreign subsidiaries established in Catalonia, with 1,369 companies, 14% of the total, behind only the United States. Moreover, over the past five years, France has ranked as the fourth-largest source of foreign investment in Catalonia, accounting for 11% of the total accumulated foreign investment volume between 2021 and 2025.
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