NORD-PAS-DE-CALAIS - Economy
In 2000 Nord-Pas-de-Calais accounted for 5.4% of France's GDP. In absolute terms the region generates the third largest volume of value added of the regions of the provinces, after Rhone-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur. But with a GDP per inhabitant of 18 982 euro the region is low down the national scale (18th).
In 2000, the contribution of the region's industry represented 6.9% of France's gross value added of the industrial sector, ranking the region the third largest contributor after Ile-de-France and Rhone-Alpes. The region's contribution to other branches was: 5.0% of France's gross value added of the construction sector, 3.8% of the agricultural sector, and 4.5% to market services.
Industry remains the great strength of the region
Nord-Pas-de-Calais has a long-standing industrial know-how. At the beginning of the 1950s, the Nord-Pas-de-Calais produced half the coal in France, one-third of textile products, one-quarter of steel, and was prominent in shipbuilding. In 1991, there is no coal and no shipbuilding. The traditional economic structure of the region had been a juxtaposition of local mono-industries. Today, alongside major and well-integrated industrial branches, there is a large network of small and medium-sized industries. Industry remains the great strength of the region. Over the 1990s industrial activity experienced a revival, thanks to the setting up of sites by large concerns (e.g. Toyota at Valenciennes), and the presence of company head quarters. But its share of region's value-added continues to decline. It accounted for 27.3% of the region's valued added in 1995 and for 26.7% in 2000.
Industry is fairly diversified (textile manufacture, steel making, metalworking and mechanical engineering, chemicals and glass making, construction of transport equipment, and energy). But diversification in the 'high-tech' branches needs a further push. The production of the intermediate goods and capital goods sectors made up the biggest shares of the gross value added generated by industry (42% and 29% respectively) in 2000. The production of consumer goods in the regional industrial value added was 9%. The agri-food industry accounted for 14.5% and energy for 12%.
In the Nord-Pas-de-Calais the number of medium-sized companies (employing between 100 and 499 people) accounted for 21% of all companies working in industry in 2001, this is slightly above the national average (19%). Compared to other regions the proportion of large establishments is still a bit above the national average (2.9%) with establishments employing more than 500 people accounting 3.1% of all industrial establishments of the region. These establishments employed 32.4% of all employees working in the industrial sector of Nord-Pas-de-Calais.
Construction accounted for 4.2% of gross value added of Nord-Pas-de-Calais.
Agriculture's contribution to the region's value added is slowing diminishing, accounting for 2.0% in 2000 compared to 2.3% in 1995. Nevertheless agriculture plays an essential role in the region, in terms of both production and links with industry. Over half the agricultural land is pasture, although only 32% of farms are mainly involved in animal husbandry. Farms tend to be large with 38% of holdings being 50ha or more. Production is split between crops and animal products, with some particular crops (chicory, endives, flax and hops). The region accounted for 6% of France's wheat production and 5.5% of its barley in 2000.
Growing importance of the services sector
The Nord-Pas-de-Calais does not yet have a services sector on a par with its economic and demographic importance. At regional level, market services accounted for 43.4% of gross valued added in 2000, compared to the national average of 51.6%. But its importance is slowly growing; in 1995 its share of value added was 42.9%.
Tourism is fairly well developed in the region, mostly along the coast with its beaches (Le Touquet), dunes and cliffs, and the influx of British tourists by ferry and the Channel tunnel. Hotel capacity in term of bedrooms amounted to 3% of total capacity of metropolitan France. The share of nights in hotels in the region of Nord-Pas de Calais was 3.2% in 2000.
Tourism like the rest of the economy benefits from the region's geographical location and the excellent transport networks that run through it. The region has a good road infrastructure and numerous high-speed train links, as well as a well-structured maritime base with its three complementary ports: Dunkirk, Calais, and Boulogne. Thus Paris, London, Brussels and also the Netherlands are easily accessible and the capacity of the channel link has increased since the tunnel. The region largely benefits from its position at the junction of the exchanges in the North-West of Europe. In the future the creation of a multimodal platform in the Dourges - of European interest - should reinforce the region's position.
The region is at the top of the table for sea passenger transport, with 15.6 million passengers in 2000, substantially outweighing the other regions, since this figure represents nearly 4 times more than Corsica which takes second place. In terms of freight, sea transport amounted to over 80 million tons, the third highest volume of all the regions of France. With over 22.6 million tons of freight the rail network of Nord-Pas-de-Calais handled the most freight of all the regions of France, and ranked second after Ile-de-France in terms of passenger transport with 29.5 million passengers in 2001. In 2001 there were more than 2 million vehicles registered in Nord-Pas-de-Calais, of which 87.3% were private cars. The number of private cars in 2001 increased by 11.8% compared to 1990.
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