Economy:
According to the Regional Development Agency, Aquitaine contributes about 5 per cent of the national GDP and the region has a strong and diverse economy with several well developed sectors. The tertiary sector is particularly strong, due in part to the city's position as the administrative centre of Aquitaine. Bordeaux is also the 4th largest banking centre in France with approximately 26,000 employees working in this field. There are 65 call centres in Bordeaux, 15 of which employ more than 100 staff, making it the 3rd largest call centre region in the country. Bordeaux has also become one of the country's most significant centres for IT services, with approximately 2,200 companies employing some 23,500 people.

The industrial sector also plays an important role in the Aquitaine region. In particular there is a well-developed aerospace industry, which in combination with the Midi-Pyrénées region has more than 85,000 people working in over 1,200 companies. Bordeaux is also well known for its production of wine and liqueur, which accounts for a significant part of the region's wealth. In fact the region is ranked first in France for the production of AOC wines, making about 30 per cent of the total produced in the country. Other significant industries include electrical, automotive, chemical and biotechnological industries.

Local Infrastructure:
The region benefits from an excellent transport infrastructure, which brings much of Europe within easy reach. Bordeaux is ideally located at the crossroads of 3 major roadways. The A10 runs north to south through western France and links northern Europe and the Iberian Peninsula, the A89 links the region with Lyons, Switzerland and central Europe and the A62 links Toulouse, Barcelona, Marseilles and Milan. The A65, due for completion in 2010 will link the Aquitaine region with northern Spain. Bordeaux's railway station, Gare St-Jean, is located just 3 kilometres from the city centre and has hundreds of departures everyday. It is at the heart of the country's high-speed network and has 16 trains leaving for Paris daily, with journey times of less than 3 hours.

The Port of Bordeaux is the seventh largest in France handling nearly 9 million tonnes of cargo per annum with routes to and from some 300 destinations on every continent. Nearly half of all cargo handled at the port is mineral oils with the rest comprised of grains and oil seeds, oil cake and oils, fertilizers, coal and petroleum coke and containers. The port consists of 6 specialised terminals; Le Verdon, Pauillac, Blaye, Ambès, Bassens and Bordeaux. Le Verdon and Bassens both have facilities for roll-on/ roll-off ferries and Le Verdon also includes a 60 hectare free port with 4,000 square metres of warehouse space.

Bordeaux-Merignac Airport is located approximately 10 kilometres from Bordeaux city centre and is home to more than ten airlines offering flights to destinations throughout Europe, including Dublin, Lisbon, London, Munich and Paris. During 2001 the airport handled nearly 3.1 million passengers and more than 39,500 tonnes of freight.

The transport infrastructure within the city is equally well provided for and considerable investment is underway to improve it further. The focus of this investment is a new and extensive tram system, which is due for completion in 2007. When finished the network will cover some 37 per cent of the population, 65 per cent of schools and universities and 50 per cent of work places.

Local Workforce:
According to the European Commission, Bordeaux has a high proportion of executives and professionals working in the areas of health, education, research and commerce. Bordeaux also benefits from a well-educated workforce with the percentage of students staying on after school to study in higher education being greater than the national average. There are more than 80,000 students and 5,000 researchers working in Bordeaux's 4 universities and numerous graduate schools and high schools that specialise in areas such as engineering and management.

Standard of Living:
Bordeaux is famous for its wine and cuisine and offers an outstanding quality of living. The city of Bordeaux is home to a vast array of shops, department stores and luxury boutiques and the wider region offers numerous leisure facilities. Bordeaux is one of the country's top regions for golf courses and there are miles of footpaths, cycle paths and waterways for exploring the countryside. In addition, the region is a short distance from the coast and also the skiing facilities of the Pyrenees.

Bordeaux has a fantastic cultural heritage with numerous museums and historical sites and a large variety of shows and festivals throughout the year, including over 10 film festivals. Furthermore, 3 monuments in the city and a total of 16 in the wider Aquitaine region have been included on UNESCO's international heritage list.

Business Costs:
According to Bordeaux's Regional Development Agency the average wage in Bordeaux is just over €17,000, with a range from approximately €32,000 for management positions to nearly €11,000 for non-skilled workers.