International offices: guide

France

‘Team Scotland France’ consists of the Scottish Government France Office and Scottish Development International (SDI) France. The team is based in the British Embassy in Paris. 

Our France Office, which opened in 2018, promotes the development of diplomatic and cultural partnerships in France. It consists of a Head of Office, Deputy Head of Office, and Comms and Engagement Lead. The SDI team has nine members who cover trade promotion across a range of sectors, namely energy transition, consumer lifestyle, food and drink, life sciences and technology, as well as colleagues dedicated to inward investment, with a primary focus on the energy transition. The SDI team members also work in other geographical areas beyond France. 

Scottish Government France works on increasing our influence, engagement, and collaboration with French partners in the national and regional governments as well as at city/town level. We seek to increase strong links between French and Scottish businesses, academia, cultural and diaspora organisations and to seek to identify opportunities for collaboration. We also regularly support Scottish ministers on official visits to France and inward visits to Scotland by our French partners. 

Strategic objectives

Priorities for 2024 to 2025

Economy, trade and investment

Export growth

As Scotland’s second largest global export market and first largest in Europe (when oil and gas exports are excluded), France is a highly strategic market for Scotland. The team will:

• continue to support Scottish businesses to source and secure business and market opportunities in France, following the guidelines of Scotland: A Trading Nation strategy and supporting the goals of the National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET)    
• work with Scottish exporters, providing support on a one-to-one  basis as well as through the delivery of information webinars and seminars, and the organisation of  sector specific trade missions around major trade fairs and conferences in France.  Examples include the annual Floating Offshore Wind Turbine (FOWT) conference,  Hyvolution (energy transition), SIAL (Food and Drink), Batimat (sustainable construction), and Medintechs (Life Sciences)
• help improve the trading environment for Scottish businesses, and where it adds value, support the resolution of Market Access Barriers, through: 
  • engaging with the Department for Business and Trade [UK Government] and Scottish Government trade team to identify and improve market access and regulatory barriers between the UK and France as they arise for Scottish companies and their industry bodies, which may hinder Scottish exports. 
  • working with key in-market partners such as regional development agencies, sector specific clusters, regional and international chambers of commerce and the French government (e.g. customs) to ease our exporters’ access to the French market.
• the team will also work closely with the UK Government (Department of Business and Trade) to provide the best outcomes for Scottish companies    
• continue to work with the strong team of GlobalScots based in France, organising events, sharing contacts, expanding the network in strategic sectors and leveraging the expertise of our GlobalScots 

Inward Investment

With ca. 28,000 jobs generated by French inward investors in Scotland (second largest contributor in terms of jobs after the USA), France is a strategic market for foreign direct investment.

• aligned with the Scottish Government’s Inward Investment Plan, the team’s aim is to support transformational foreign inward investment from French and Southern European companies    
• the Inward Investment Team in France will be present at a number of energy events across Europe including Seanergy (Nantes), Wind Energy (Hamburg) and Floating Offshore Wind (Aberdeen). The team will support SDI Scoltand-based based sector specialists present at All Energy (Glasgow), Global Offshore Wind (Manchester), the Energy Export Conference (Aberdeen) and at Hydrogen Scotland’s annual conference in  Glasgow 

Tourism

• continue to collaborate closely with Visit Scotland and Brand Scotland to showcase Scotland as a “Great place to visit”. This will involve promoting Scotland during major public-facing events and trade shows such as sporting events including the Olympics and Paralympics, trade conferences, the Lorient Interceltic Festival, and St. Andrew's Day and Burns events
• capitalise on the success and interest in Scotland’s UNESCO Digital Trail to highlight ‘slower’ and sustainable travel experiences in Scotland to promote Scotland as a leading sustainable tourism destination in Europe 

Climate change, biodiversity and renewable energy

Climate change

• promote Scotland’s commitment to working with international partners on combatting climate change with French stakeholders and seek new partnerships. The team will monitor French government policy developments related to climate change, identify synergies with Scotland’s initiatives to identify best practice
• continue to look into sustainable agricultural practices and share Scotland’s experience of sustainable agriculture, food security and sustainable land use
• reinforce links with French think tanks who specialise on climate change policy to exchange knowledge and showcase Scotland's initiatives on the global stage 

Biodiversity 

• continue to build on our strong relationship with the French Biodiversity Agency to ensure effective policy exchange and sharing of best practices between our two nations, particularly in three areas: education, biodiversity impacts of offshore wind infrastructure, and land management/ protected areas
• additionally, we recognise the roles of regions in France in protecting biodiversity. In line with our Memorandum of Understanding  with the Brittany Region, we will aim to increase our engagement on areas of biodiversity

Renewable energy 

• work to showcase Scotland’s expertise in renewable energies and seek synergies for collaboration, particularly in the areas of offshore wind (including floating offshore wind), hydrogen, and wave and tidal. (See Trade and Investment objectives above)
• in addition to its long-term focus on the above-mentioned sectors, SDI is exploring new opportunities for Scottish companies in the areas of industrial decarbonization and carbon capture storage
• recognising the vital role that industrial decarbonisation will play in reaching net zero, France has launched an industrial decarbonisation strategy as part of its France 2030 Investment Plan.  The team will work to maximise commercial opportunities for Scottish exporters by:
  • organising a trade mission to Dunkirk, which is a living lab for industrial decarbonisation in France. Because of its important steel, chemicals and cement industries, the Greater Dunkirk area was responsible for 20% of France’s industrial greenhouse gas emissions in 2020. A wave of multi-billion-euro projects focusing on Carbon capture Storage (CCS), hydrogen and targeting GHG emission hotspots in Dunkirk has been announced since then
  • continuing to work with the Brittany Region, under our MoU, to explore areas of common interest such as on port infrastructure and shipping decarbonisation

Reputation, influence and relationships

Scottish Connections

• actively promote the recently published Scottish Connections Framework and funding rounds during our engagements, emphasising the importance of fostering enduring ties between our two countries    
• engage with the diaspora network of Scottish organisations and community-led initiatives. This work will include supporting partner events to boost visibility and attending in person where possible. This year, for example, includes events around The Eric Liddell 100    
• deepen diaspora links as part of our MoU with Brittany, by facilitating the collaboration between our respective diasporas 

Cultural cooperation and heritage 

• foster strategic partnerships with key partners and organisations such as the British Council France and Editions Métailié    
• identify and capitalise on opportunities such as international festivals and platforms in France to showcase Scotland’s rich cultural offerings including in the realms of screen, literature, music and food and drink to a diverse French audience. One example will be supporting Scotland’s contribution to the annual Lorient Interceltic Festival taking place in August    
• seek to leverage Scotland’s key national days and holidays, such as Saint Andrew’s Day and Burns Day events, to present Scotland’s heritage. Here, we will work with partners, particularly food and drink partners and creative industries to give them a platform to showcase their work    
• actively seek engagement opportunities with UNESCO to ensure Scotland’s cultural voice is heard on the global stage    
• leverage our well-established partnership with the city of Saint-Denis, the second largest city in the Paris region, and use their Olympic Village as a platform to showcase Scotland's rich culture, sport, and business during the 2024 Paris Olympics    
• participate where appropriate in commemorative ceremonies across France, paying homage to historical links and our joint heritage. This includes attending the D-Day commemoration in Normandy, marking 80 years since the landings 

Education and research

• continue to work alongside policy colleagues in the creation of a UK - France Education Memorandum of Understanding, which is due to be signed this year.  Once signed the team will work with French Government and partners to identify areas of potential mutual learning and collaboration    
• continue to support Scottish colleagues working with the OECD, in order to help better inform policy thinking on areas such as Scotland’s curriculum offer, our education profession, behaviours and relationships in schools, and using digital technology to enhance education    
• work with academic departments across France who specialise in Scottish studies when appropriate and possible. This may include speaking at or attending their events or helping them find appropriate contacts in Scotland    
• work closely with International School Partnerships Scotland to create new school partnerships between French and Scottish schools with the aim to increase exchanges and support language learning in Scottish schools 

Knowledge exchange and partnerships

• we will work across all strands of work to foster knowledge exchange and strategic partnerships that enhance our knowledge and understanding of policies and events in France as well as sharing best practices where Scotland can contribute. For this we will take a multifaceted approach:  
  • collaboration with Embassy and devolved government colleagues: We will collaborate closely with embassy and devolved government colleagues to ensure Scotland's optimal representation, especially during significant events such as the D-Day commemorations and the Festival Interceltique de Lorient
  • active participation in the Celtic Forum: we commit to being an active member of the Celtic Forum alongside other Celtic nations following the signing of the ‘Rennes Declaration’ in August 2023. This forum provides a platform for fostering cultural exchange, cooperation, and joint initiatives, strengthening ties within the Celtic community
  • Brittany Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) engagement: We will maintain regular engagement with Brittany stakeholders, in alignment with our joint action plan following the signing of the MoU in August 2024. This proactive approach aims to deepen our collaboration with Brittany and advance mutual interests and objectives (e.g meet at events where there is a shared interest such as FOWT in April 2024)
  • support for policy exchange and dialogue: Leveraging our established relationships in-country, we will facilitate policy exchanges and dialogues to support Scottish government policy development. For instance, we will facilitate an exchange with the French think tank Institut Géopolitique du Genre, bringing together Scottish government leads to discuss Scotland's feminist approach to foreign policy

See previous strategic objectives in our website archive.

Contact

Head of France office: Miranda McIntosh

Email: Francehub@gov.scot

Twitter/X: @ScotGovFrance

Instagram: @ScotGovFrance

Telephone (reception): +33 1 44 51 34 64

Post:

Scottish Government Office
British Embassy
35 Rue Faubourg saint Honoré
75008
Paris