Internationalisation Monitor 2026, first edition

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Our economic relationship with France is intensive and multifaceted, encompassing trade, investment, employment and innovation. It is therefore important to understand this relationship well. In this publication, we provide a systematic analysis of France’s economic position and its relationship with the Netherlands. We examine the structure of the French economy, trade in goods and services, investment relations and the role of multinationals, as well as the interconnectedness of both countries within global value chains.

Chapter 1 outlines the French economy. How does France perform in terms of economic growth, international trade, investment, innovation, digitalisation and sustainability? To put these performances into perspective, we compare France with the Netherlands and other major economies. This chapter provides the background for the rest of the publication.

Chapter 2 focuses on trade in goods between the Netherlands and France. We analyse the size and composition of this trade, the main categories of goods and the importance of France as a trading partner. We also examine the characteristics of companies in the Netherlands that export goods to France and regional differences within France.

Chapter 3 addresses trade in services between the two countries. We describe the development and composition of bilateral service flows and analyse which types of services and which companies play a key role.

Chapter 4 examines the investment relationship between the Netherlands and France. We discuss foreign direct investment, the role of multinationals and the relationship between investment and export flows.

Chapter 5 places the economic relationship in the broader context of global value chains. We analyse the value added earned by the Netherlands and France from bilateral exports, the structure of dependencies in supply chains, and the role both countries play in international production processes.

The Internationalisation Monitor describes trends in internationalisation and their consequences for the Dutch economy and society. Currently, it is published two times per year as part of CBS’ Globalisation development and publication programme, which is commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The aim of the research programme on Globalisation is to arrive at new insights in the field of globalisation in order to contribute to practices, policymaking and science. At the core of this approach is the integration of a wide range of sources and already available microdata, combined with the application of advanced statistical methods such as I/O analysis. The ensuing results, i.e. newly developed statistics and accompanying analyses, are published in the Internationalisation Monitor.

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