【境外律师专访系列·法国篇】中企出海法国的法律与文化指南

01.

洞见:法国商机

「Insight｜Business Opportunities in France」

法国作为欧洲第二大经济体，是进入欧洲市场的关键门户。然而其独特的法律框架、严格的合规要求以及不同的商业文化，常为拓展海外业务的中国企业带来意料之外的挑战。

France stands as Europe’s second-largest economy and a crucial gateway to the European market. However, its distinct legal framework, stringent compliance requirements, and different business culture often present unexpected challenges for Chinese companies expanding overseas.

有些企业为节省成本，仅通过小型会计事务所设立子公司。但当后续需要合规报告时，才发现子公司竟未持有经商业登记处盖章的股份转让登记簿（法语称“registre de mouvements de titres”）。对于SA或SAS类型的公司而言，该登记簿是证明股份所有权的唯一法律凭证。

Some companies want to set up subsidiaries as cheaply as possible using small accounting offices and some time later they need a compliance report and discover for instance that the subsidiary does not have the share transfer book (in French "registre de mouvements de titres") stamped by the commercial registry and which is, in SA or SAS type of companies, the only legal evidence of share ownership. 

小型企业往往低估数据隐私与GDPR合规风险，以及雇佣非法移民工人的潜在风险。

Risks related to data privacy and GDPR are also under estimated in small companies as well as the risks of employing illegal migrant workers.

部分大型或国有中国集团在处理法国及其他欧洲国家的法律事务时，常倾向于套用中国律师（无论来自律所或集团内部）在英美大学所学的法律概念。而欧洲大陆的法律体系截然不同，某些方面更接近中国体系。

Some big or state owned Chinese groups tend to apply when it turns to legal aspects in France or other European countries , some US or UK law concept which Chinese lawyers (in legal firms or in groups) have learned in US or UK university. The legal system of continental Europe is very different, closer to the Chinese system in some respect.

此外，中国大型集团往往高度集中化，在商业法律谈判中，中国管理者更关注总裁或上级领导的看法，而非对方可能的反应。

Also big Chinese groups tend to be centralised and, in business legal negociations, Chinese managers tend to concentrate on what their president or superior will think than to how the other part will react.

这种缺乏对立方的共情能力，可能导致谈判失败，或无法将对方引导至客户期望的位置以实现自身利益。

This lack of empathy for the other party may result in failure in negotiations or failure in bringing the other party where the client wishes for its own interest.

法国商界对税务问题尤为敏感，有时甚至受税务驱动。所有国家都应注重相互理解，避免权威争执与傲慢态度，以尊重和灵活态度寻求巧妙妥协。

I think French business parties are often sensitive to tax issues and sometime tax driven. It is important in all countries to show mutual understanding , avoid authority arguments and arrogance , show respect and flexibility to find clever compromises.

培养同理心、灵活思维和“跳出框框思考”的能力至关重要。相反，在跨国团队中应避免使用英美大学习得的固定模板——除非处理英美交易。

I think it is important to develop empathy , flexibility and "think out of the box" skills. On the contrary, one should try in multinational team to avoid using preset format learned in US/UK universities...except if you work on a US/UK deal.

实践建议方面，保持良好生活习惯和充足睡眠（即使面临时差或长时间会议）对维持法律谈判效率至关重要。

Concerning practical advice, developing good life hygiene and sleeping well despite jet lags or long meetings is important to keep efficient in legal negotiations.

我记得有这样一桩案例：某中国大型轨道交通集团收购了一家破产的法国列车座椅制造商。该公司的工厂位于时任财政部长当选议员的选区。另一家法国集团也觊觎这家破产企业。为讨好部长和法国集团，外商投资审批部门竟宣称列车座椅属于战略性活动，如同受外资法规约束的战略性交通基础设施。所幸当地商事法院认定中资集团的重组方案优于法资竞争对手，最终裁定允许中资集团接管破产法企。

I remember a case where a big train/rail industry Chinese group purchased a French company which went bankrupt and manufactured seats for trains. The company had its factory in the local area where the then Minister of Finance was elected at the parliament. A French group also wanted to buy this bankrupt company. The FDI authorities, in order to please the Minister and the French group alledged that the train seats were strategic activity, like strategic transport infrastructure covered by FDI regulations. Fortunately the local commercial court decided that the project of the Chinese group was better for the bankrupt company recovery than the project of the French competitor and the Chinese group was authorised by court to take over the bankrupt French company.

并非所有中资集团收购案均告成功，多家法国工厂在被中资（或其他）集团收购后关闭。但上述案例表明，法国法院处理涉华案件时通常不受此类偏见影响。

Not all takeover by Chinese groups were success and several French factories were closed after being taken over by Chinese (or other) groups. However the above example shows that usually the handling of cases involving Chinese groups by French courts is not affected.

近期受国际紧张局势影响，法国科技企业或资产卖家可能更倾向七国集团买家而非中国买家，但主要原因在于交易执行速度。唯一值得注意的外资阻挠案例是美国公司收购为法国军队服务的法国光电公司，但中国买家很可能同样无法获批。

Recently further to international tensions, French sellers of technological companies or assets may favor G7 purchasers to Chinese purchasers but it is mainly because of speed of excecution of the deal.The only notable FDI blockage was against the purchase by a USA company of a French optronics company working for the French army. It is however probable that a Chinese purchaser would not have been approved either.

近二十年间我经手了大量中法并购案，年均三至四起，难以单独选出最具代表性案例。我曾为逸仙和胜荣收购过多家化妆品公司，为雅戈尔收购时尚品牌，为名创优品收购生活方式品牌，也曾为创新科技和医疗品牌（如汇川和眉山博雅）进行过多次收购，但我最喜欢的还是2008年的那次收购。

I worked on many M&A cases between France and China, 3 or 4 per year over nearly 20 years and it is difficult to select one in particular. I did several acquisitions of cosmetics companies for Yatsen and Syoung, fashion for Youngor, life style for Miniso or technology robotics or medicals for Innovance or Meishan Boya but my favorite was the first one in 2008.

山东控股集团旗下的潍柴集团收购了位于马赛附近卡西斯的一家中型船用发动机制造厂——博杜安发动机厂。这家工厂此前被一家私募股权基金收购后破产。

Weichai group of Shandong holdings acquired Moteurs Baudoin a midsized factory manufacturing motors for boats in Cassis near Marseilles which became bankrupt after being owned by a private equity fund.

近20年后，博杜安发动机厂发展壮大，成为中国在法国最成功的工业投资项目之一。

Nearly 20 years after Moteurs Baudoin developed and became one of the most successful Chinese industrial investment in France.