Commercial exchanges between Romania and France has increased to almost €8 billion so far this year—a 10-percent increase over 2016, the commercial excess (the positive balance) being on the Romanian side, the official statistics show. France now makes up 6.2 percent of Romania's international trade, making it the third-most popular commerce partner.
According to the French authorities, the investments from French companies in Romania has surpassed €7 billion, if they take into consideration the increase in capital, the acquisition of Romanian companies, the investments in modernization and extension of activity of the big French groups, industrial and services already in Romania and the reinvested profit.
The most important domains of economic cooperation between Romania and France, including through the presence of the French investment, are include hotels (France's AccorHotels has 10 properties in Romania, for example) food industry (Danone, Serve, Sofiproteol) and insurance (Groupama). Other companies invested significant sums in productive activities of goods and services destined to export to European markets.
France is also in third place for total exports with Romania at 6.8 percent and fourth place with imports at 5.7 percent. France is 13th among the commercial partners of Romania with whom the commercial balance is on the positive side.
As of the end of May, Romania had registered 8,774 commercial companies with French capital at 4.16 percent of the total of companies with foreign share in the capital, a volume of the social capital of €2.42 billion and 5.72 percent of the total of direct foreign investments. France, being fifth in the top of foreign investors after the Netherlands, Austria, Germany and Cyprus, shows the data of the National Office for the Commerce Registrar.