France is the fourth largest foreign investor in Romania, with total direct investments of EUR 5.27 billion, according to Romania’s National Bank (BNR). French investors control almost 7,800 companies in Romania, data from Romania’s Trade Registry Office (ONRC) shows.

The largest French business in Romania is carmaker Dacia, which is controlled by Renault. Dacia was the largest company in Romania by turnover, in 2013, with EUR 4.16 billion in sales. Dacia’s exports represent more than 7 percent of Romania’s total exports.

French group Societe-Generale controls 13 percent of Romania’s banking assets, through BRD, which is Romania’s second largest bank. BRD’s total assets are more than EUR 10 billion.

Orange is the leader of Romania’s telecom market. The company has more than 10 million customers, who brought it almost EUR 1 billion in revenues last year.

French retail groups Carrefour and Auchan had cumulated sales of EUR 2 billion last year, which is almost 8 percent of total retail sales in Romania.

Energy group GDF Suez holds the monopoly on gas distribution in the Southern half of Romania. The company’s turnover last year was about EUR 980 million.

Pharmaceutical group Sanofi controls about 7 percent of the Romanian drug market. It is currently second on the market.

Groupama is the fifth largest insurer in Romania with a 7.3 percent market share in the first quarter of 2014.

Danone is the largest dairy producer in Romania, the only company in the sector with more than EUR 100 million sales each year.

France is the third largest export market for Romania, with a 7 percent share in total exports value, in 2012.

Andrei Chirileasa, andrei@romania-insider.com