From May 24 to 26, 23 French companies will be present in Doha to attend the 14th edition of Milipol Qatar, a global event for homeland security & civil defense in the Middle East, where official delegations, infrastructure developers and technology suppliers from around the world will gather to enhance security systems.

On the eve of the FIFA World Cup, all eyes are on the safe and secure delivery of this global event. Given the World Cup security agreement signed in March 2021 in Doha, that aims to support the Qatari partners in securing the event, French exhibitors, who represent the largest foreign delegation on the show, intend to seize the opportunity of this strategic partnership to showcase at Milipol, six months before this world-leading event, their cutting-edge technologies and latest innovations in the defense and security fields.

Indeed, thanks to its network of highly specialized companies in the field of safety and homeland security, French security and defense industry is among the leading solution providers. In France, the sector includes heavyweights, mid-sized companies and 4,000 SMEs and employing 130,000 people. France has recorded growth of over 5% in this sector in 2021, due to its steady development and massive investments in innovative technologies such as cybersecurity, the anti-drone systems, optronics, CCTV equipment, crisis management, and contactless identification.

H.E Jean-Baptiste Faivre, Ambassador of France to the State of Qatar, commented: “Cooperation between France and Qatar in the field of internal security is characterized by its great vitality through a dense history of strategic partnerships, where France has successfully accompanied Qatar during major sporting events (Asian Games in 2006, World Athletics Championships in 2019 and FIFA Club World Cup in 2020 for example). French expertise is in high demand as it is based on several priority target sectors: specialized intervention, border control, protection of sensitive sites, including the fight against drones, mobility security (metro, train, boat) and cyber security.”

“The prospect of the World Cup and the institutional offer that France is proposing in this context, across all its clusters, offer solid opportunities and a breeding ground for our companies to further develop and market their top-notch solutions,” he stressed.

French companies will stand out in four sectors that are foreseen to show a very strong growth in Qatar over the next three years: information technology and cybersecurity (+ 64%), authentication and access control (+ 60%), drones and robots (+ 56%), and major risks and civil defense (+ 44%).

France has always been a major partner of Qatar for security and defense equipment, training, and technological needs, as it’s been gearing up to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. It is willing to anchor its support in a long-term relationship to support Qatar’s ambitious national project embedded in Vision 2030, for the security of MotoGP, the F1 Grand Prix and the Asian Games 2030, to name a few.

The French Pavilion, supported by the CCI Seine & Marne in coordination with Business France, gathers 18 major groups and SMEs experts in their field, such as Flowbird which is the world leader in urban mobility providing flexible transport and parking solutions ; MC2 TECHNOLOGIES which has developed scanners dedicated to threat detection and drones jammers; or Allwan Security specialized in developing, designing and distributing tactical and rugged solutions, dedicated to monitoring and security. It includes: ALSETEX (Etienne Lacroix Group), BLOCK’AXESS, BLOCSTOP, CROSCALL, CS GROUP, DCI GROUP, EGIDIUM TECHNOLOGIES, ETS MORIN, EXAVISION, FISCHER CONNECTORS, GM Tech by GEORGES MORAND, NEXTER ROBOTICS, NOVATEL NETWORKS, STID and UNITIVE. Apart from the French Pavilion, 5 companies are also exhibiting in other areas of the Milipol Qatar exhibition.

As the first foreign delegation on the show, France is firmly committed to working with Qatar, just a few months before the global sporting event that is the Football World Cup.

France’s diplomatic mission to Qatar dates back to 1972. The economic section of the Embassy is in charge of providing support to companies competing for large strategic contracts for France, following-up the economic situation (foreign trade, investments) and analyzing the rules and climate under which local businesses operate.  Business France provides support for French firms, especially SMEs.

The Seine & Marne Chamber of Commerce & Industry (“CCI Seine & Marne”) is a public institution whose main missions in France are to support project holders, companies, and territories in their economic development and to represent the interests of businesses to the public authorities. Internationally, CCI manages French pavilions at trade fairs in certain key sectors: security, defense, aeronautics, industry, etc. CCI coordinates the French Pavilion at Milipol Qatar, a significant business event for French SMEs, with the support of its partner Business France Qatar.

Business France is the national agency supporting the international development of the French economy, responsible for fostering export growth by French businesses, as well as promoting and facilitating international investment in France. It promotes France’s companies, business image and nationwide attractiveness as an investment location, and runs the VIE international internship program.