France Economy Profile - Doing Business 2014
Core Content Overview
The Doing Business 2014 report provides an analysis of the business environment in France, focusing on regulations that affect small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It measures the ease of doing business across 11 key areas and compares France with other economies, including comparator economies and regional averages. The report also includes a distance to frontier (DTF) measure to assess how far France is from the best practices in each area.
Key Indicators and Rankings
| Indicator |
France DB2014 |
France DB2013 |
Belgium DB2014 |
Germany DB2014 |
Italy DB2014 |
Spain DB2014 |
Switzerland DB2014 |
United Kingdom DB2014 |
Best Performer DB2014 |
| Starting a Business |
41 |
29 |
49 |
111 |
90 |
142 |
104 |
28 |
New Zealand (1) |
| Procedures |
5 |
5 |
3 |
9 |
6 |
10 |
6 |
6 |
New Zealand (1)* |
| Time (days) |
6.5 |
6.5 |
4.0 |
14.5 |
6.0 |
23.0 |
18.0 |
12.0 |
New Zealand (0.5) |
| Cost (% of income per capita) |
0.9 |
0.9 |
5.2 |
4.7 |
14.2 |
4.7 |
2.0 |
0.3 |
Slovenia (0.0) |
| Paid-in Min. Capital (% of income per capita) |
0.0 |
0.0 |
18.2 |
0.0 |
9.8 |
13.4 |
25.6 |
0.0 |
112 Economies (0.0)* |
| Dealing with Construction Permits |
92 |
74 |
100 |
12 |
112 |
98 |
58 |
27 |
Hong Kong SAR, China (1) |
| Procedures |
9 |
9 |
13 |
9 |
11 |
9 |
13 |
12 |
10 Economies (3)* |
| Time (days) |
184.0 |
184.0 |
214.0 |
97.0 |
233.5 |
230.0 |
154.0 |
88.0 |
Singapore (26.0) |
| Registering Property |
149 |
150 |
180 |
81 |
34 |
60 |
16 |
68 |
Georgia (1) |
| Procedures |
8 |
8 |
8 |
5 |
4 |
5 |
4 |
6 |
4 Economies (1)* |
| Time (days) |
49.0 |
59.0 |
64.0 |
40.0 |
16.0 |
12.5 |
16.0 |
21.5 |
New Zealand (1.0)* |
| Cost (% of property value) |
6.1 |
6.1 |
12.7 |
5.7 |
4.4 |
7.1 |
0.3 |
4.7 |
5 Economies (0.0)* |
| Getting Credit |
55 |
52 |
73 |
28 |
109 |
55 |
28 |
1 |
Malaysia (1)* |
| Strength of legal rights index (0-10) |
7 |
7 |
6 |
7 |
3 |
6 |
8 |
10 |
10 Economies (10)* |
| Depth of credit information index (0-6) |
4 |
4 |
4 |
6 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
6 |
31 Economies (6)* |
| Paying Taxes |
52 |
54 |
76 |
89 |
138 |
67 |
16 |
14 |
United Arab Emirates (1) |
| Payments (number per year) |
7 |
7 |
11 |
9 |
15 |
8 |
19 |
8 |
Hong Kong SAR, China (3)* |
| Time (hours per year) |
132 |
132 |
160 |
218 |
269 |
167 |
63 |
110 |
United Arab Emirates (12) |
| Trading Across Borders |
36 |
37 |
28 |
14 |
56 |
32 |
35 |
16 |
Singapore (1) |
| Documents to export (number) |
2 |
2 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
4 |
3 |
4 |
Ireland (2)* |
| Time to export (days) |
10 |
10 |
9 |
9 |
19 |
10 |
8 |
8 |
5 Economies (6)* |
| Cost to export (US$ per container) |
1,335 |
1,335 |
1,240 |
905 |
1,195 |
1,310 |
1,635 |
1,005 |
Malaysia (450) |
| Enforcing Contracts |
7 |
7 |
16 |
5 |
103 |
59 |
20 |
56 |
Luxembourg (1) |
| Time (days) |
395 |
390 |
505 |
394 |
1,185 |
510 |
390 |
437 |
Singapore (150) |
| Cost (% of claim) |
17.4 |
17.4 |
17.7 |
14.4 |
23.1 |
18.5 |
24.0 |
39.9 |
Bhutan (0.1) |
| Resolving Insolvency |
46 |
44 |
6 |
13 |
33 |
22 |
47 |
7 |
Japan (1) |
| Time (years) |
1.9 |
1.9 |
0.9 |
1.2 |
1.8 |
1.5 |
3.0 |
1.0 |
Ireland (0.4) |
| Cost (% of estate) |
9 |
9 |
4 |
8 |
22 |
11 |
4 |
6 |
Norway (1) |
Main Points and Key Information
Ease of Doing Business Index
- France is ranked 38th in the global ease of doing business index (DB2014), down 3 positions from DB2013.
- The DTF (Distance to Frontier) for DB2014 is 71.97, up slightly from 71.92 in DB2013.
Business Regulation Areas
- The report evaluates 11 areas of business regulation, including starting a business, construction permits, electricity access, property registration, credit access, investor protection, tax payment, cross-border trade, contract enforcement, insolvency resolution, and employment regulations.
- France's performance in these areas varies, with some indicators showing improvements and others indicating areas for reform.
Starting a Business
- Starting a business in France requires 5 procedures, takes 6.5 days, and costs 0.9% of income per capita.
- The paid-in minimum capital is 0.0% of income per capita.
- France ranks 41st globally for ease of starting a business, with New Zealand at the top.
Comparative Performance
- France performs better than many comparator economies in some areas, such as starting a business and getting electricity.
- However, it lags behind in areas like registering property and resolving insolvency.
Reforms
- No significant reforms were recorded in France between DB2009 and DB2014 as per the Doing Business methodology.
Methodology and Assumptions
- The Doing Business methodology assumes that entrepreneurs have no prior contact with officials, do not pay bribes, and use a standardized company (limited liability, located in Paris, 10–50 employees, engaged in general commercial or industrial activities).
- The report includes a DTF measure to evaluate how far an economy is from the best practices in each area.
Data Notes
- The rankings in DB2013 are not the published rankings but comparable rankings that include data corrections and the addition of 4 new economies.
- The data for this report are current as of June 1, 2013, except for the paying taxes indicators, which cover January–December 2012.
Summary of Business Procedures in France
- Check name for uniqueness with INPI (can be done online; free summary check, fees for copies and trademark search)
- Register with the Chamber of Commerce (notarized documents required)
- Register with the INPI (for trademarks)
- Register with the Social Security Agency
- Register with the Tax Agency
Conclusion
The Doing Business 2014 report highlights that France has a relatively strong business environment compared to many economies, particularly in areas like starting a business and getting electricity. However, it still faces challenges in property registration, resolving insolvency, and investor protection. The report serves as a valuable tool for policymakers to identify areas for improvement and to understand the comparative performance of France's regulatory framework.
