Business creation in the Mediterranean: What coproduction perspectives for Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur companies?

Published : Friday 21 April 2017 - Martin FLEURY et Jean-Philippe PAYET (Cabinet R.M.D.A)

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Written in partnership with the Agence Régionale de l’Innovation et l’Internationalisation (ARII) and the PôleMed, the report dedicated to “Business creation in the Mediterranean: What coproduction perspectives for Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur companies?” follows the works initiated by IPEMED and its partners, in the framework of the Coproduction Observatory.

Indeed, this study aims to better understand the strategies of PACA region businesses towards Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries (SEMC), and to identify their needs, as well as the obstacles to partnership development in a coproduction logic. To do so, it is based on a quantitative survey that was submitted to a sample group of companies. 

Even though the results cannot be generalised as real regional dynamics, some trends clearly emerge:

 › Due to their sizes and capacities, the 69 sample businesses invest carefully. Therefore, they direct their international strategies towards known and safe markets, but more competitive and mature ones. By doing so, they miss development opportunities in SEMC;

 › Although the political risk “disqualifies” some SEMC for now, others - such as Morocco, Tunisia and Israel - managed to play their cards right through reforms and stability. They appear as leading markets and as a mean to reach neighbouring countries in the long term (Mediterranean and Africa);

 › However, the difficulties to identify reliable partners are a real obstacle to evolve in administratively complex environments and to protect themselves from outstanding debts;

 › For businesses willing to work with SEMC, the support they look for remains quite basic for now: market research, networking, B2B meetings. As regards companies that are less willing to work with these countries, they can lack reliable information on operation conditions, market potential, facilities and local infrastructures.

Following these observations, the authors of this report, Martin FLEURY and Jean-Philippe PAYET (Cabinet R.M.D.A), draw a few lines of inquiry that all converge towards the necessity to highlight the respective assets of the region’s countries and to work in closer collaboration with diasporas.

This report is only available in French.

 

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