French Economy Minister Visits Tel Aviv University

The French Minister of Economy, Industry and Digital Affairs Emmanuel Macron visited the Tel Aviv University campus accompanied by a delegation of over 100 French business and government leaders, together with representatives of small-to-medium-sized businesses and startups. Speaking to an audience of 300 participants in the presence of Chairman of the TAU Board of Governors Prof. Jacob A. Frenkel and French Ambassador to Israel Patrick Maisonnave, Macron urged France and Israel to do more to strengthen their mutual trade ties and develop long-term partnerships.

“We are currently reforming our country to make it more attractive to investors and we need the Israelis to come to France to bring us their spirit and energy which is consistent with the new progressive strategy we are seeking for our country,” Macron said.

The event was preceded by a French-Israel Business Forum with the participation of various speakers. These included Dean of the TAU School of Management Moshe Zviran, who focused on the Israeli innovation ecosystem. Other speakers included President of the Israel-France Chamber of Commerce, Daniel Rouach; President of the France-Israel Chamber of Commerce, Henri Cukierman; Head of Foreign Trade Division, Manufactures Association of Israel, Dan Catarivas; Managing Director, Israeli Industry Center for Research and Development, Michel Hivert; and Chairman, Israel Association of Electronics and Software Industries, Elisha Yanay. Speakers from France included General Manager of BPI France, Mr. Nicolas Dufourcq; and CEO of Business France, Ms. Muriel Penicaud.  

The visit was organized by the Israel Manufacturers Association, the French Embassy in Israel, the Israel Export Institute and the Israel France Chamber of Commerce.