Economy
Alsace: an industrial region at the heart of Europe
Because of its position at the heart of Rhineland Europe, Alsace is very open to international trade: it is only two hours from the international airports of Frankfurt and Zurich; it has three ports on the Rhine, the premier commercial waterway in the world; it has optimal links with the major European motorway networks and it will very soon be the European crossroads for the TGV (east-west in June 2007 with the inauguration of the East European TGV, and north-south in 2012 with the inauguration of the Rhine-Rhone TGV). Alsace is the second largest banking centre in France and the third largest scientific centre. And its venture capital facilities are growing.
The tertiary trade sector is now the principal driving force behind its economic growth, yet Alsace remains one of the most industrialised regions in France. Industry employs a third of the working population and is developing in the automobile sector, the mechanical equipment sector, the agri-food sector, the textile sector, the chemical sector, the electronics sector and, more recently, the biotechnology and health sectors. The three competitivity poles endorsed by the State evidence the turnaround negotiated by the economy in Alsace: therapeutic innovation, vehicle of the future and natural fibres.
A collective strategy for a more competitive Alsace
In order to anticipate and oversee economic change and mobilise those involved, in June 2006 Region Alsace approved a Schéma Régional de Développement Economique (in French). Fifteen meetings, 300 participants, and thirty written submissions pinpointed the five principal areas for future development for an enterprising, innovative, open and united Alsace:
- Improve the quality of transport and communication infrastructures: prepare for the arrival of the TGV, modernise the ports on the Rhine, complete the Alsace's motorway network;
- Place innovation at the heart of regional policies: the setting up of a Regional Innovation Agency, approximation of financial resources to fund innovation, creation of a Regional Innovation Fund, reinforcement of the Regional Centres for Innovation and Technology Transfer and technological platforms, development of technological incubators;
- Act together to face up to economic change: definition of priority action territories, supporting collective action, the corporate and social economy, action to promote vocationalising training;
- Foster business creation and the emergence of new activities: promoting the enterprising spirit, encouraging the creation of new activities in the field of the environment;
- Reinforce Alsace's openness to international business and international trade: the setting up of Alsace International, aid in the recruitment of international volunteers in business, supporting an economic manifestation of European stature.
More legible economic action
In order to render its economic action more legible, Region Alsace will offer a system of aid based on the following principles:
- General aid to business projects;
- A few simple, homogenous tools (help with expertise, recruitment, investment);
- Integration into regional strategic priorities.
last update : 11.12.2008