France is a wealthy Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) country with a strong commercial relationship with Canada, reinforced by the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). The country is one of Canada’s top European trading partners and enjoys a stable, healthy and modern economy with a strong political system. EDC sees excellent business and investment potential across a wide range of sectors in the market. France has many world-class companies and a sound banking sector. The country and its major companies have a strong reputation for technological sophistication and R&D spending. France continues to face public debt challenges, which was partially exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis.