The original article was published in RIA Novosti
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When I decided to move to Russia, many French are my generation, tempted go to another country, usually thought of more traditional areas, such as French-speaking Canada, England and Ireland, in which the time was economic boom, or Australia, and especially the U.S., because we still think that in America everything is possible. Of course, in France the situation is not catastrophic, but we, who anticipates that in the coming years there will be no improvement, a lot. I belong to a generation of Frenchmen, many of which are went abroad. I'm not talking about pensioners, who first thought of a comfortable life in sunny and cheap, hot and cheap, like Morocco, and the young graduates, for whom emigration is expedient economically and professionally.
financial crisis of 2008 profoundly changed the situation. England and Ireland have lost their appeal, the U.S. is in economic and social crisis, and more and more French people dare to go in less than traditional regions, but with real economic opportunities, such as Brazil, China or Russia. It is a sign of faith in the future of the country, and French companies included in the consolidated stock index CAC 40, one behind the other open their representative offices in Russia. Nevertheless, even if the French presence in Russia is growing, it remains relatively weak compared with other European countries such as Germany. You can judge this by the number of companies represented in Russia: about 600 French and German 6.000. There is logic in this strong economic attraction which is expressed in numbers of immigration, and which demonstrates the growing influence of Russia, which is also the only European country BRIC in the Eurasian region. Russia really is the second country after the United States by the number of arrivals of foreigners. In 2010, Russia had 12 million foreigners in the population in 142 million. While migrant workers from Central Asia (cheap labor) represent the bulk of these migrants, but according to the AEB (Association of European Business), about 500.000 people from the EU are living or working in Russia, at least from time to time.
Now, less re-visiting of Western Europe to work in companies, but increasingly those who come to Russia for an individual for a short period, whether it be an internship or student exchange. Some people prefer to stay to find work, even start a new life. From a professional point of view, high rates of growth and dynamism of domestic Russian market is a goldmine for foreign firms, and this country's economic health can work more easily find ways to apply their abilities than in many Western European countries. Nevertheless, Russia is not yet a trend, dreamed of, it really is not the most simple country for exile, even for young professionals. The difficulties of the Russian language, harsh climate (if you think about the European part of Russia and, therefore, of economic centers, what are Moscow and St. Petersburg) and especially the many administrative difficulties (visas, various requests ...) does not easy task. In addition, a complete ignorance of the majority, for example, the French, this country and a dark image created by our media to her, interrupting any desire go back to work, not to mention the move.
Despite everything, I have met in Moscow, many of the French, who also chose Russia, some recent, others ten or even more years ago. In conversations about life in Russia, the harsh climate and the difficulties of the Russian language, I wondered often hear the same phrase: "I do not I want to come back. " It is true that my first impressions, personal, and has been very positive. In Russia there are no recurring strikes, which prevent normally live and travel. In the cities shops, bars and restaurants are often open 24/24, which gives an important sense of freedom. The country is really multicultural and multi-religious, but here, unlike in Western societies, ethnic, religious and social tensions felt very weak and does not poison everyday life, such as in France. In Moscow you can feel the energy that fills the city, and vitality of the people on the streets, subway, stores. There is in this city something bright, positive and attractive.
feeling of living in a country where the impression of decline (widespread in France) are not feels very nice, it must be acknowledged. I think this is one of the keys to understanding the attraction, which Russia calls from foreigners. In Russia sense of "possible" still exists, while it seems to have disappeared in many other countries. Russia, Far-Est XXI century will be whether it is the same El Dorado for Europeans, what was the United States over the last century? It is difficult to predict the future, but if two decades ago, Europeans migrated from east to west, but today it is possible that we are witnessing the beginning of the reverse movement from west to east, to the vast expanses of the Urals.
This movement should, in my opinion, is significantly faster in the next decade, given the strong economic outlook for Eurasia (Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, the three countries of the new customs union) and relatively weak in Western Europe. According to the IMF, Russia on purchasing power parity GDP is ahead of France and Germany soon. As for me, as a Eurasian Frenchman, it decided a long time, I have to live in Russia!
financial crisis of 2008 profoundly changed the situation. England and Ireland have lost their appeal, the U.S. is in economic and social crisis, and more and more French people dare to go in less than traditional regions, but with real economic opportunities, such as Brazil, China or Russia. It is a sign of faith in the future of the country, and French companies included in the consolidated stock index CAC 40, one behind the other open their representative offices in Russia. Nevertheless, even if the French presence in Russia is growing, it remains relatively weak compared with other European countries such as Germany. You can judge this by the number of companies represented in Russia: about 600 French and German 6.000. There is logic in this strong economic attraction which is expressed in numbers of immigration, and which demonstrates the growing influence of Russia, which is also the only European country BRIC in the Eurasian region. Russia really is the second country after the United States by the number of arrivals of foreigners. In 2010, Russia had 12 million foreigners in the population in 142 million. While migrant workers from Central Asia (cheap labor) represent the bulk of these migrants, but according to the AEB (Association of European Business), about 500.000 people from the EU are living or working in Russia, at least from time to time.
Now, less re-visiting of Western Europe to work in companies, but increasingly those who come to Russia for an individual for a short period, whether it be an internship or student exchange. Some people prefer to stay to find work, even start a new life. From a professional point of view, high rates of growth and dynamism of domestic Russian market is a goldmine for foreign firms, and this country's economic health can work more easily find ways to apply their abilities than in many Western European countries. Nevertheless, Russia is not yet a trend, dreamed of, it really is not the most simple country for exile, even for young professionals. The difficulties of the Russian language, harsh climate (if you think about the European part of Russia and, therefore, of economic centers, what are Moscow and St. Petersburg) and especially the many administrative difficulties (visas, various requests ...) does not easy task. In addition, a complete ignorance of the majority, for example, the French, this country and a dark image created by our media to her, interrupting any desire go back to work, not to mention the move.
Despite everything, I have met in Moscow, many of the French, who also chose Russia, some recent, others ten or even more years ago. In conversations about life in Russia, the harsh climate and the difficulties of the Russian language, I wondered often hear the same phrase: "I do not I want to come back. " It is true that my first impressions, personal, and has been very positive. In Russia there are no recurring strikes, which prevent normally live and travel. In the cities shops, bars and restaurants are often open 24/24, which gives an important sense of freedom. The country is really multicultural and multi-religious, but here, unlike in Western societies, ethnic, religious and social tensions felt very weak and does not poison everyday life, such as in France. In Moscow you can feel the energy that fills the city, and vitality of the people on the streets, subway, stores. There is in this city something bright, positive and attractive.
feeling of living in a country where the impression of decline (widespread in France) are not feels very nice, it must be acknowledged. I think this is one of the keys to understanding the attraction, which Russia calls from foreigners. In Russia sense of "possible" still exists, while it seems to have disappeared in many other countries. Russia, Far-Est XXI century will be whether it is the same El Dorado for Europeans, what was the United States over the last century? It is difficult to predict the future, but if two decades ago, Europeans migrated from east to west, but today it is possible that we are witnessing the beginning of the reverse movement from west to east, to the vast expanses of the Urals.
This movement should, in my opinion, is significantly faster in the next decade, given the strong economic outlook for Eurasia (Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, the three countries of the new customs union) and relatively weak in Western Europe. According to the IMF, Russia on purchasing power parity GDP is ahead of France and Germany soon. As for me, as a Eurasian Frenchman, it decided a long time, I have to live in Russia!
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