2025 FDI Report : Eastern France Moves Forward

On January 29, 2026, Business France published its National Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Report covering all French regions. The Grand Est region ranks among the three most attractive regions in France. Beyond these results, the report highlights a strong regional focus. It reaffirms the Grand Est region’s openness to carefully selected international investments. These should fully contribute to the dynamism and reindustrialization of all its territories.

Sustainable growth and job creation

In 2025, the Grand Est region recorded a significant increase in foreign direct investment (FDI). 198 projects and 4,896 jobs created have been registred. The region ranks among the top three French destinations for FDI in terms of number of projects, alongside Île-de-France and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
Between 2021 and 2025, more than 800 projects were announced by foreign-owned companies. This represents 22,500 jobs created and more than €8 billion in investment.
The top three investor countries in Eastern France remained unchanged in 2025. Germany keeps its first place (30% of projects), followed by the United States (12%) and the United Kingdom (8%). Japan also recorded six projects in 2025, returning to a level comparable to that observed before the health crisis.

Reindustrialization projects benefiting each Eastern France territory

Beyond the figures, this annual report illustrates the Region’s commitment to supporting major foreign projects aligned with its reindustrialization strategy. In 2025, production projects accounted for nearly half of all FDI projects in Eastern France. There was also strong growth in expansion projects led by foreign companies already established in the Region (+50% compared to 2024).

YANMAR – SAINT-DIZIER (52)

The Japanese company Yanmar has made the strategic decision. It will concentrate all its manufacturing activities at its French site in Saint-Dizier.
The project involves transferring and integrating activities at the French site, and modernizing warehouses, logistics infrastructure, and offices. An investment of €4.3 million is planned for 2025, with the creation of 40 jobs. // Photo credits : ©WE_S – stock.adobe.com

View Yanmar’s Director Interview

DAIMLER BUSES – LIGNY-EN-BARROIS (55)

The largest private employer in the Meuse department, the Daimler Buses France production site in Ligny-en-Barrois (Daimler Trucks AG Group) supplies a large share of the European market, notably with eCitaro electric bus models and, soon, the eIntouro intercity bus.
The German group has announced an additional €50 million investment at this site in 2025, along with new recruitment to support its transition to the exclusive production of zero local-emission electric vehicles.

Foreign direct investment: driving an increasingly circular regional industry

Through reindustrialization, the region’s attractiveness policy is also fully contributing to the development of tomorrow’s circular economy. Several major foreign projects promoting circular economic models were launched in the region this year, notably with the support of Grand Est Développement.

RICOH – WETTOLSHEIM (68)

A global leader in office equipment and one of the leading Japanese investors in France, Ricoh has decided to expand its Alsatian site dedicated to printer recycling. This decision reflects a growing environmental awareness, which is currently more pronounced in France than in Japan.
This success is the result of close cooperation between the Grand Est Region and ADIRA, which provide ongoing support to the regional subsidiary and to the group’s headquarters during missions to Japan.

CIRC – ST. AVOLD (68)

Founded in 2011, CIRC is an American company specializing in the recycling of mixed textiles into raw materials.
As part of its international expansion, CIRC is establishing operations in Saint-Avold (Moselle) and plans to create 200 jobs over three years. The site will also have a processing capacity of 70,000 tons of recyclable textiles per year. The construction is scheduled to begin at the end of 2026 and commissioning planned for 2028.

Discover 2 Major Projects announced in 2025

Results confirming the Grand Est region’s long-term strategy

The 2025 review of international investment in Grand Est confirms the relevance of the region’s attractiveness strategy over the past decade.These results demonstrate a strong commitment of all stakeholders to sustainable development in future-oriented sectors such as the bioeconomy, Industry 5.0, life sciences, and digital technologies.