France: About France
From ExecutivePlanet.com
About France
Geography: France is at the western edge of Europe. Bordered by the Atlantic Ocean (to the west) and the Mediterranean Sea (south), its major neighbors are Germany, Italy and Spain. Great Britain is across “The English Channel” known to the French as “La Manche” (the Sleeve). Surface area is 551,500 sq kilometers (slightly less than the size of Texas). The country is mostly flat plains in the north and west, mountains east (Alps) and south (Pyrenees). The highest point is Mont Blanc at 4,807m. The French can ski in winter and go to the beach in summer. Population: 64 million (2009 est.)
Government: France is a republic with a president elected by popular vote for a 5-year term. He appoints the Prime Minister and the Cabinet (Council of Ministers). Parliament is bicameral with a Senate and a National Assembly. The Senate (343 seats) is elected by an electoral college for 6 years renewed by half every 3 years. The National Assembly (577 seats) is elected by popular vote for a 5-year term. Election days were recently changed so that the National Assembly is elected soon after the President is elected. Currently (2010) the majority party “UMP” is a center right political party. The “PS” socialist party is its major opponent. A number of other smaller parties cover all sectors of political life from extreme right to extreme left.
Economy: France is one of the 27 European Union countries. Its currency since 1999 is the Euro. Gross Domestic Product is $2.867 trillion (2008 est.) making it the ninth world economy.
GDP by sector: Services at 78%, Industry 20% and Agriculture 2%. France is the most visited country in the world with 75 million foreign tourists every year. Major economic issues: tax burden (50% of GDP) is the highest in Europe; unemployment has been close to 10% for decades; economic growth is sluggish; urgent reforms keep being postponed because of public opposition.
Climate: Climate is cool in winter with temperatures below freezing 25 days a year and mild in summer. In Paris, the capital, average temperature in winter is 5° Centigrade and 18° C in summer. South, in Nice on the Mediterranean, winter is 10° C and summer 23° C. Rain is frequent except in the south were droughts can occur.
Religion: Historically the main religion was Roman Catholicism. Today, 85% of the population is Catholic and only 10% actually go to Church. There is a saying that French Catholics go to Church to be baptized, to get married and for their funeral. Arriving in the last 50 years are Muslims (mostly from North Africa), who are estimated at 5 to 10% of the population. They want proper places of worship and the local authorities are not anxious to provide building permits.
Legislation: Laws are voted by Parliament and enacted by the President, sometimes years later. As in most countries, contracts are legally binding unless they are contrary to current legislation. Courts will not expect people to always say the truth and will request documents to prove their assertions. Labor laws are very extensive and constraining for businesses. They define, for example, the work week (35h/week), annual leave (minimum 5 weeks), a lengthy process to let employees go and high severance payments. In addition, the labor tribunal can reverse a layoff and have the employee reinstated in his old job. The use of temporary workers over extensive periods is also restricted.
Labor Unions have a very small member base but carry a lot of political influence. They organize strikes and walk outs, particularly in the Public Sector, often disrupting transports and schools.
