A key growth driver for economic recovery, exports have been hit hard by the health crisis, the closure of borders and the cancellation of trade shows. To encourage SMEs and ETIs to pursue their activities outside France, the French government has introduced a series of support measures, as part of the export component of the economic recovery plan.
Strengthening prospecting insurance
Prospecting insurance provides companies with cash-flow support for all aspects of prospecting, with partial coverage of costs associated with travel and trade shows. However, to benefit from this prospecting insurance, companies must have at least one accounting year and be financially stable.
To support exports, the French government has made it possible for companies to benefit from an advance payment of up to 70% of expenses incurred, throughout 2021. In addition, the overall prospecting insurance envelope has been increased, particularly for the ecological transition component and for smaller companies, under the "accompanying prospecting insurance" scheme.
Export relaunch and international volunteering vouchers
The French government has also introduced export relance vouchers, enabling companies to have 50% of the cost of purchasing screening services or trade show participation covered, whether these events take place face-to-face or remotely. Implemented on October 1, 2020, this scheme aims to finance 15,000 services.
Another scheme to support exports is the Volontariat International en Entreprise (VIE) voucher, worth 5,000 euros, for companies sending a young graduate aged between 18 and 28 on an overseas assignment. The grant is limited to 2 volunteers per company, and covers 15-20% of the cost of the assignment. The government's objective is to finance 3,000 missions.
Export: new data to take into account
In the first half of 2020, the sector posted a loss of 50 billion euros, with exports down 21.5%. While they can rely on the various measures put in place by the State, companies selling abroad must also take new data into account.
As a result, digital technology became essential for continued prospecting, and some well-prepared companies were able to find new customers while reducing their travel costs. On the other hand, transport costs, especially air freight, rose sharply at the start of the pandemic, and logistics were more complex to manage.
Some markets, such as Northern Europe and Scandinavia, have become more attractive, as they have proved their resilience during the health crisis. Lastly, the companies that proved most resilient were those that already had part of their workforce abroad, hence the interest in VIE vouchers.