Case Studies
Case Study N°1 : Paris
How is Paris a globalized territory?
First of all, the capital of Paris is a cultural center because of its numerous festivals, assemblies, museums, theatres and expositions. Moreover, it is a high-fashion center with Chanel, Cartier and Dior having established their legacy. When it comes to higher education, Paris holds France’s most prestigious colleges, containing almost 40 000 foreign students and many international curriculums. Within the borders of the city itself, different communities can be found, such as the Chinese quarter, Jewish quarter and Muslim quarter.
The reasons why Paris attracts so many immigrants are various. To start with, Paris holds a high economic position with job opportunities and continuous progress of living standards. As mentioned above, many students from abroad attend college in Paris thanks to its wide choice of study fields. Therefore, more than 300 000 people of foreign providence live in the French capital, which represents 15% of France’s total foreign population, and we can say that Paris is a true cosmopolitan metropolis.
Around the world, for example in China, characteristics of Paris are reproduced. In Tianducheng, near Shanghai, Parisian housing complexes have been constructed, and even a reproduction of the Eiffel Tower (as observed in the presented document).
How is Paris a globalized territory?
First of all, the capital of Paris is a cultural center because of its numerous festivals, assemblies, museums, theatres and expositions. Moreover, it is a high-fashion center with Chanel, Cartier and Dior having established their legacy. When it comes to higher education, Paris holds France’s most prestigious colleges, containing almost 40 000 foreign students and many international curriculums. Within the borders of the city itself, different communities can be found, such as the Chinese quarter, Jewish quarter and Muslim quarter.
The reasons why Paris attracts so many immigrants are various. To start with, Paris holds a high economic position with job opportunities and continuous progress of living standards. As mentioned above, many students from abroad attend college in Paris thanks to its wide choice of study fields. Therefore, more than 300 000 people of foreign providence live in the French capital, which represents 15% of France’s total foreign population, and we can say that Paris is a true cosmopolitan metropolis.
Around the world, for example in China, characteristics of Paris are reproduced. In Tianducheng, near Shanghai, Parisian housing complexes have been constructed, and even a reproduction of the Eiffel Tower (as observed in the presented document).
Furthermore, in the political field, Paris is the chair of Unesco and has strong diplomatic connections. France’s political power is united in the political heart of Paris linking the senate, Matignon, the General Assembly and the Elysee (shown in the pictures).
By Capucine, Allia and Jade
Case Study N°2 : The Northern Range
Basic Facts :
· The Northern Range is an area of exchange crossing the English Channel and the Northern sea
· With more than thirty ports, the Northern Range stands as the world's second largest merchandise trading port front after China's Yellow Sea.
>Ports for fishing, containers and for trades
· The Northern Range extends itself upon 700 km from France’s le Havre to Germany’s Hamburg City
· It is an area of interface between the English Channel and a vast territory made of different European regions. These regions form an agglomeration around the Rhin (important player in the countries’ economies and trading systems)
* Interface : A surface forming a common boundary between adjacent regions
· The Northern Range represents around 10% of the world's trades and reached around 1,2 billion tons of imported/exported merchandise in 2008
> Various goods such as petroleum, coal, minerals, cereals, automobiles, and chemicals
> Services are also part of the merchandises trades
· Map : The Northern Range is divided in three sectors :
1- Anvers, Rotterdam and Amsterdam form the first sector (Main advantage : central location)
2- Le Havre, located at the South would be the second one
3- The third sector regroups Hamburg and Breme up in the North
However, the Northern Range faces a number of issues.
Access to the sea is a constant struggle for ports at the end of estuaries : Anvers, Breme, Hamburg are all situated at 43 miles of the sea, Amsterdam and Rotterdam had to dig a channel to facilitate the maritime trade. Improvements like deepening the navigable channels have been made with time in most of European ports to be able to receive bigger ships or to ameliorate maritime traffic.
With giant ships carrying goods, hundreds of fishing vessels and ferries transporting 70,000 passengers per day between England and Europe, the English Channel is considered to be the most congested sea in the world. Storms, violent currents, wrecks, also make the maritime environment perilous. The intense circulation is due as well to ships transiting 310 millions tons of dangerous products such as gas, explosives or petrol. Furthermore, the coastal area is a cause of conflicts ; territories fight to have industrial, fishing and touristic zones that are part of the Northern Channel.
The Northern Range is an area that connects Europe with world trade by being the second trading coastline in the world, after the Yellow Sea. However, it faces some problems such as the competition between the territories, the environmental dangers or the coastal area being disputed.
By Samantha Poncabare and Camille Chu
Case Study N°3 : The Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea has always been the cradle of western civilisations. With the fall of the Roman Empire and the arrival of Islam in Europe, the continent lost its integrity. Today, with the arrival of poorer and unstable eastern countries in the European Union, the gap between the member states only gets bigger.
The relationships with the North African countries are unequal: while these countries are dependent upon Europe (42% of their exchange), they are practically useless to European nations, apart from petrol, bought at a low price because of their domination over North Africa. Europe buys crops, fossil fuels and textiles in exchange for machinery.
A third of world fret passes by the Mediterranean Sea: the products travel from North Africa to Southern Europe, which are then transported to the rest of the Northern European Nations.
Moreover, there is a high level of population displacement in this area, as there are for instance 3 million Turks in Germany, and 5 million French have from North African Origins. Since 1973, Europe has made relentless efforts to try and slow clandestine immigration, but these efforts remain vain, and tragedies still occur in the Mediterranean Sea. Finally, the Mediterranean Sea is also a highly touristic area, and some countries such as Greece, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco essentially depend on tourism.
Moreover, funds in this area are very mobile. Foreign investments are essential to the economies of certain countries such as Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon and Morocco, where represents from 5% to 40% of national GDP. These foreign investments keep on rising since 1980.
The Mediterranean is a border for the European nations which take little interest in what is happening beyond: for example, it was the United States which put an end to the Yugoslavian war in 1995. However, in the last decade, Europe has started showing interest beyond the Mediterranean, with the Union for the Mediterranean (2008).
The European Union gives financial aid to the countries beyond the Sea, with 13 billion Euros from 1995 to 2010. However, this aid is inefficiently used and quickly depleted, and doesn't greaten Europe's geopolitical influence. Moreover, these countries such as Turkey, Algeria, and Libya do not consider themselves to be tied to Europe but rather to Asia or the Middle-East.
Two thirds of the population of the European Union support complex interaction between Europe and its neighbouring countries, however, they are afraid of how much this will cost, with the British and the Germans being the most sceptical.
Can the investment in the Mediterranean bring the North and the South together?
Case study: Renault, implantation in Turkey and in Morocco
Renault’s principal implantation on the Mediterranean cost is the “Oyak-Renault” industry in Bursa, Turkey. In 2009, the total number of produced vehicles is 276 000, with 6 000 employees (Doc 1).
In 2009, Renault was the biggest seller of vehicles in the Turkish market, and it was the largest exporter in Turkey, in front of Ford. Since 1996, after the Custom Union Agreement between Turkey and the European Union, Turkey has become an export platform mainly targeted towards Europe. Renault then exported three quarter of its production towards Europe. Turkey’s geography position eases Turkey’s distribution of production. Turkey’s qualification, low rate of absenteeism and its high production rate attracted a lot of automakers.
Since that the Romanian industry was getting full, Renault had to build another industry in Tangier, Morocco. The project was planned to be launched in 2012. Renault and Nissan planned to make 400 000 cars per year on the arid land of Tangier, which did not have any industries implanted. There were many advantages for implanting in Tangier. Firstly, labor price was stable and it was much cheaper compared to Romania, only 5 euro per hour. And since that Morocco has a Free Trade Agreement with the European Union, Renault didn’t have to pay customs duty for exporting products. And for 5 years, Renault wouldn’t need to pay any taxes based on their gained profits. The government is even willing to build a road and a railway to bring the products to the container port. Morocco is also financing the creation of a training institute specialized in the automotive trades.
The port of Tangier is strategically well placed. Sea transport from Tanger is able to reach all the ports of Spain in 1 day, and is able to arrive in almost any ports in France by 2 days.
The strategy of Renault is thus to implant in a country where labor is cheap, while the city is geographically well placed. The Free Trade Agreement and the Custom Union Agreement, trade from Turkey and Morocco to the European Union has become much easier, and Renault does not even have to pay additional taxes.
By Clement Liu and Corentin Robin
The Mediterranean Sea has always been the cradle of western civilisations. With the fall of the Roman Empire and the arrival of Islam in Europe, the continent lost its integrity. Today, with the arrival of poorer and unstable eastern countries in the European Union, the gap between the member states only gets bigger.
The relationships with the North African countries are unequal: while these countries are dependent upon Europe (42% of their exchange), they are practically useless to European nations, apart from petrol, bought at a low price because of their domination over North Africa. Europe buys crops, fossil fuels and textiles in exchange for machinery.
A third of world fret passes by the Mediterranean Sea: the products travel from North Africa to Southern Europe, which are then transported to the rest of the Northern European Nations.
Moreover, there is a high level of population displacement in this area, as there are for instance 3 million Turks in Germany, and 5 million French have from North African Origins. Since 1973, Europe has made relentless efforts to try and slow clandestine immigration, but these efforts remain vain, and tragedies still occur in the Mediterranean Sea. Finally, the Mediterranean Sea is also a highly touristic area, and some countries such as Greece, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco essentially depend on tourism.
Moreover, funds in this area are very mobile. Foreign investments are essential to the economies of certain countries such as Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon and Morocco, where represents from 5% to 40% of national GDP. These foreign investments keep on rising since 1980.
The Mediterranean is a border for the European nations which take little interest in what is happening beyond: for example, it was the United States which put an end to the Yugoslavian war in 1995. However, in the last decade, Europe has started showing interest beyond the Mediterranean, with the Union for the Mediterranean (2008).
The European Union gives financial aid to the countries beyond the Sea, with 13 billion Euros from 1995 to 2010. However, this aid is inefficiently used and quickly depleted, and doesn't greaten Europe's geopolitical influence. Moreover, these countries such as Turkey, Algeria, and Libya do not consider themselves to be tied to Europe but rather to Asia or the Middle-East.
Two thirds of the population of the European Union support complex interaction between Europe and its neighbouring countries, however, they are afraid of how much this will cost, with the British and the Germans being the most sceptical.
Can the investment in the Mediterranean bring the North and the South together?
Case study: Renault, implantation in Turkey and in Morocco
Renault’s principal implantation on the Mediterranean cost is the “Oyak-Renault” industry in Bursa, Turkey. In 2009, the total number of produced vehicles is 276 000, with 6 000 employees (Doc 1).
In 2009, Renault was the biggest seller of vehicles in the Turkish market, and it was the largest exporter in Turkey, in front of Ford. Since 1996, after the Custom Union Agreement between Turkey and the European Union, Turkey has become an export platform mainly targeted towards Europe. Renault then exported three quarter of its production towards Europe. Turkey’s geography position eases Turkey’s distribution of production. Turkey’s qualification, low rate of absenteeism and its high production rate attracted a lot of automakers.
Since that the Romanian industry was getting full, Renault had to build another industry in Tangier, Morocco. The project was planned to be launched in 2012. Renault and Nissan planned to make 400 000 cars per year on the arid land of Tangier, which did not have any industries implanted. There were many advantages for implanting in Tangier. Firstly, labor price was stable and it was much cheaper compared to Romania, only 5 euro per hour. And since that Morocco has a Free Trade Agreement with the European Union, Renault didn’t have to pay customs duty for exporting products. And for 5 years, Renault wouldn’t need to pay any taxes based on their gained profits. The government is even willing to build a road and a railway to bring the products to the container port. Morocco is also financing the creation of a training institute specialized in the automotive trades.
The port of Tangier is strategically well placed. Sea transport from Tanger is able to reach all the ports of Spain in 1 day, and is able to arrive in almost any ports in France by 2 days.
The strategy of Renault is thus to implant in a country where labor is cheap, while the city is geographically well placed. The Free Trade Agreement and the Custom Union Agreement, trade from Turkey and Morocco to the European Union has become much easier, and Renault does not even have to pay additional taxes.
By Clement Liu and Corentin Robin