Our economic relations are long-standing and solid. French exports to Qatar - the composition of which is more and more balanced and is no longer based solely on Airbus sales - regularly exceed the billion euro mark and our trade balance primarily shows a surplus (€830M in 2009). Qatar is France’s fourth-leading customer in the Middle East and its seventh-biggest supplier. Qatar is the second-leading surplus-generating country for France in the Middle East (11th worldwide), after the United Arab Emirates. The fifth conference on investment and finance in Qatar was held for the first time in Paris in March 2010, and made it possible to extend the scope of economic partnerships.

The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), which has invested more than 60 billion dollars in nearly 20 countries in the Middle East, Africa and Europe, already has numerous partnerships with French companies. In particular, it holds 6.1% of Lagardère (since June 2006, increased to 7.6% in September 2009), 3% of EADS (since 2008), 2.98% of Suez Environnement (in November 2008, back down to 0.98% in March 2010) and 5.78% of Vinci.

France’s biggest groups are present in Qatar. Accordingly, Total invested in many projects upstream and downstream in the oil sector. Technip participated in building the biggest gas liquefaction trains in the world and in February 2010 was awarded a $750M contract to reinforce the Emirate’s LNG production capacities. Qatar Airways has about 100 Airbus on order (including 80 A350s and five A380s). Vinci Constructions has been chosen for the project to build the 43km causeway to link Qatar to Bahrain.

^{Updated on 16.02.11}