NEWS COVERAGE - FRANCE

ECONOMY AND BUSINESS NEWS FROM THE PAST WEEK

November 14th, 2014
Business Sweden, Paris

THE PAST WEEK

French GDP grew 0.3% in the third quarter

Russia to increase gas supply to China

According to statistics released on Friday by INSEE.

Good news, given the 0.1% that was predicted by many.

Russia and China have signed a memorandum of

understanding to supply gas from western Siberia to
China.

Macron wants to lower the price of highways

The Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron has
announced his intention to put pressure on the motorway
companies and lower toll rates

It follows a $400bn agreement in May for Russia to sell

up to 38bcm of gas per year from eastern Siberia to
northeastern China.

With a profitability of at least 20% for certain

motorway companies
Macron also is pursuing the reform of the legislated
employments like pharmacists and notaries

BUSINESS SWEDEN

14 NOVEMBER, 2014

ERICSSON ANNOUNCING HIGHER PACE ON CUT DOWNS

The telecom giant Ericsson gearing up the pace of their
savings to achieve savings of around $1.2bn.
An unknown number of employees forced to quit.
Half of the savings are expected to be retrieved from the
operating expenses while the other half will reduce sales
costs.
Swedish equipment supplier Ericsson is today one of the
few European companies who manages to withstand the
aggressive Chinese manufacturers like Huawei

The market for network equipment is predicted to have

an average growth rate of 2-4 percent per year the years
to come
The telecom services market is expected to grow by
4-6 per cent per year
The market for support systems 7-9 percent per year
The news got a positive reception on the stock exchange
with shares initially up by 2 percent

Ericsson is present in 180 countries and has 2% of its

turnover in France.

BUSINESS SWEDEN

14 NOVEMBER, 2014

TRANSPARENCY DISCUSSIONS IN THE EU INTENSIFIES

WITH LUX LEAK
Last week revelations about a massive tax evasion
system implemented in Luxembourg to multinational
corporations was leaked
The deals allowed companies such as Procter &
Gamble and JPMorgan to make use of Luxembourgs
law to pay little tax on their earnings.
After the revelations a group of European NGOs came
out with a report saying that Luxembourg is far from
being the only country affected by this phenomenon.
This report compares the policies implemented in 15
states of the European Union (EU) in the fight against
tax evasion and ensuring transparency
According to the report the bad examples in terms of
transparency is:

Due to the lack of information available on the real

owners of their businesses and their resistance to EU
initiatives to promote transparency in business
ownership.
This opacity "helps companies avoid taxes and to
transfer their profits.
The countries of the European Union are still struggling
to find solutions against tax evasion and financial opacity
But a country-by-country reporting would require
companies to provide a breakdown of profits earned and
taxes paid and accrued.
It is an idea that the former governments in Germany
and Sweden have opposed.

Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain and also

Sweden

BUSINESS SWEDEN

14 NOVEMBER, 2014

FRENCH/SWEDISH BUSINESS THIS WEEK

H&M opens between 10 and 15 stores per year in
France

The French group Air Liquide acquires the Swedish

company FordonsGas

Example of this is the the new boutique in SaintGermain-des-Prs (2,500 square meters)

Founded in 1998, FordonsGas operates in over 40

distribution stations Bio-CNG (Bio-Natural Gas Vehicles)
which allows to supply taxis, corporate fleets, bus or
private vehicles with a fuel "produced by nearly 70%
from renewable energy said Air Liquide

Big store with a more high-end costumer

"Despite the crisis, we have not slowed down. Since our
establishment in 1998, we opened 10 to 15 stores per
year.

The company employs 32 people and has an annual

turnover of approximately EUR20mn.

said Thomas Loureno, France general manager at

H&M.
France is a key market for the brand: it is the third in the
world after Germany and the United States, with 1.2bn
in sales in 2013, an increase of 7%

BUSINESS SWEDEN

14 NOVEMBER, 2014

SOURCES

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/ab7fea8e-69b6-11e4-8f4f-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3IqNG0tVl

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/3efc5a02-69be-11e4-9f65-00144feabdc0.html?siteedition=intl#axzz3IqNG0tVl

http://www.lesechosdelafranchise.com/franchise-les-echos/mode-le-suedois-h-m-ouvre-entre-10-et-15-magasins-par-an-en-france-43080.php

http://www.actu-environnement.com/ae/news/biogaz-air-liquide-fordons-gas-suede-23220.php4

http://lexpansion.lexpress.fr/actualite-economique/macron-veut-faire-baisser-le-prix-des-autoroutes_1620394.html#mx5yigyg3DT3tFzM.99

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/79eeabb0-6888-11e4-acc0-00144feabdc0.html?siteedition=intl#axzz3IecOu5sW

http://www.lesechos.fr/journal20141112/lec2_high_tech_et_medias/0203927565450-comment-ericsson-se-reinvente-dans-les-services-1063208.php

BUSINESS SWEDEN

14 NOVEMBER, 2014