Macron: Saudi Arabia is a Cornerstone for Accessing Gulf, Arab, and African Markets

French President Emmanuel Macron has encouraged French entrepreneurs to invest in Saudi Arabia, describing the Kingdom as a cornerstone for accessing markets across the Gulf, Arab countries, and Africa. At the same time, he invited Saudi companies to invest in Paris, highlighting France’s position as the top destination for investments over the past five years and emphasizing its role as a gateway to European Union markets.

Speaking at the Saudi-French Investment Forum on Tuesday in Riyadh, Macron described the two nations as reliable partners amid global fragmentation. He referred to his recent conversation with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, where they discussed several geopolitical issues and stressed the importance of balance and peace.

Macron noted the participation of 145 French companies at the event, underscoring France’s commitment to the Kingdom. He pointed out that his country is Saudi Arabia’s second-largest foreign investor and that French companies employ approximately 12,000 people in the Kingdom.

The president highlighted the key sectors of bilateral investment partnerships, including energy, water, environment, tourism, sports, healthcare, food, space exploration, and aviation.

In addition, Macron emphasized France’s interest in supporting Saudi Arabia’s carbon reduction goals through innovation and new transportation technologies, including renewable energy and green hydrogen. He also noted the Kingdom’s significant investments in artificial intelligence (AI) and pointed out the potential for collaboration, leveraging France’s expertise in training talent and developing AI solutions that integrate climate considerations.

The French president further highlighted Paris’ aspiration to collaborate on Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 mega-projects, including NEOM, AlUla, and Qiddiya, as well as participate in Expo 2030 and the FIFA World Cup 2034. He stressed the importance of knowledge and technology transfer to support the organization of such large-scale events.

He also proposed leveraging French expertise to enhance Saudi Arabia’s cultural heritage sites and museums by introducing innovative experiences and bringing together experts from both nations to develop these sites.

Riyadh Metro Project

Saudi Minister of Investment Khalid Al-Falih affirmed the progress in Saudi-French economic cooperation, describing the forum as an opportunity to align efforts in various fields, including innovation and technology. Al-Falih revealed that Saudi Arabia hosts approximately 500 French companies, with 30 of them having established regional headquarters in Riyadh.

The minister also announced three major renewable energy projects in partnership with French private-sector companies and highlighted the Riyadh Metro Project as a model of successful collaboration between French and Saudi firms, paving the way for further expansion. Additionally, Al-Falih mentioned a partnership with Airbus, which recently secured the largest aircraft order of 2024.

For his part, Laurent Germain, head of the French side of the Saudi-French Business Council and president of MEDEF, described Saudi Arabia as a key partner for French companies. He identified three main factors driving French investment in the Kingdom: strong political vision, the presence of large-scale projects, and access to financing. Germain also noted the participation of a French company in the Riyadh Metro Project and emphasized Riyadh’s growing significance as a global hub for major events.

Meanwhile, Wouter Van Wersch, Executive Vice President of Airbus, revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the company operates around 200 commercial aircraft in Saudi Arabia and has future orders for an additional 300 planes. He added that Airbus also manages over 120 helicopters, approximately 80 military aircraft, and a number of satellites in the Kingdom.

Van Wersch reaffirmed Airbus’ commitment to supporting Vision 2030, noting significant opportunities in the transportation sector, as Saudi Arabia aims to triple the number of incoming travelers by 2030. He also highlighted the Kingdom’s potential in sustainable aviation fuel and possibly hydrogen, opening new avenues for collaboration between the two sides.

US applications for unemployment benefits fell to their lowest level in nearly a year last week, pointing to a still healthy labor market with historically low layoffs.

The Labor Department on Wednesday said that applications for jobless benefits fell to 201,000 for the week ending January 4, down from the previous week's 211,000. This week's figure is the lowest since February of last year.

The four-week average of claims, which evens out the week-to-week ups and downs, fell by 10,250 to 213,000.

The overall numbers receiving unemployment benefits for the week of December 28 rose to 1.87 million, an increase of 33,000 from the previous week, according to The AP.

The US job market has cooled from the red-hot stretch of 2021-2023 when the economy was rebounding from COVID-19 lockdowns.

Through November, employers added an average of 180,000 jobs a month in 2024, down from 251,000 in 2023, 377,000 in 2022 and a record 604,000 in 2021. Still, even the diminished job creation is solid and a sign of resilience in the face of high interest rates.

When the Labor Department releases hiring numbers for December on Friday, they’re expected to show that employers added 160,000 jobs last month.

On Tuesday, the government reported that US job openings rose unexpectedly in November, showing companies are still looking for workers even as the labor market has loosened. Openings rose to 8.1 million in November, the most since February and up from 7.8 million in October,

The weekly jobless claims numbers are a proxy for layoffs, and those have remained below pre-pandemic levels. The unemployment rate is at a modest 4.2%, though that is up from a half century low 3.4% reached in 2023.

To fight inflation that hit four-decade highs two and a half years ago, the Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rates 11 times in 2022 and 2023. Inflation came down — from 9.1% in mid-2022 to 2.7% in November, allowing the Fed to start cutting rates. But progress on inflation has stalled in recent months, and year-over-year consumer price increases are stuck above the Fed’s 2% target.

In December, the Fed cut its benchmark interest rate for the third time in 2024, but the central bank’s policymakers signaled that they’re likely to be more cautious about future rate cuts. They projected just two in 2025, down from the four they had envisioned in September.

Macron: Saudi Arabia is a Cornerstone for Accessing Gulf, Arab, and African Markets