For almost ten years now, Lisbon has been a leading city for the French. Not only in terms of tourism, but also for expatriation. According to a study published at the end of 2018 by the daily Diário de Notícias, French nationals were the most numerous foreigners to settle in Portugal in 2017. It all began six years ago, when Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt, then favourite destinations for French nationals, began their famous springtime. Travellers turned their attention to Portugal, a small country famous for its gentle way of life and its mastery of foreign languages and the art of hospitality. From holidays to life projects, Portugal in general, and Lisbon in particular, have entered the sights of would-be expatriates.
Attractive prices
"After the 2008 crisis, major reforms have been carried out by the government, which has enabled Portugal to do very well.It's not just the Arab Spring, but also the high cost of rent in Paris and the fear of terrorist attacks that have accelerated the process," explains Laurent Marionnet, Managing Director of the Portuguese-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCILF) in Lisbon. He points out that in addition to the Arab Spring, the high cost of rent in Paris and the fear of terrorist attacks have accelerated the process. "Many French people, especially young people, have realised that Portugal is a welcoming country, where you can set up a business in 24 hours, at almost half the cost of doing business in France."he says. It was first and foremost the property prices, which were very attractive at the time, that attracted the French. "The hotel offer was not yet abundant and many people bought with the aim of create short-term rentals, like Airbnb"says Laurent Marionnet. Another factor is the universities where young French people come to spend a year thanks to the Erasmus programme... and end up not wanting to leave the Portuguese capital.
"It is estimated that 50,000 French people now live in Portugal, but there are probably more, as registration with the consulate is not compulsory.The number of French nationals registered with the CCILF has risen from 450 to just over 600 in the last five years," says Laurent Marionnet. The French embassy claims that the inflow of French nationals, the eighth largest foreign community in Portugal, increased by more than 35 % in 2017. While a third of the French people who have chosen to live in Portugal are retired, the majority are talented young people who want to start their own business.
That explains this spring's good news: the French Tech label has been awarded to Lisbon, linking it to the 34 other cities around the world that make up this network of investors and start-ups. Barbara Bouçon, one of the five co-founders of the French-upers, a community of French and French-speaking creative people, knows all about this dynamism: "In the beginning, we only had around fifteen young entrepreneurs, free-lancers and project leaders who we met informally. Then we professionalised the events - which are still free - and today the French-upers have 1,200 participants."
The profile of this young woman, aged 35, is somewhat atypical in the Lisbon's French-speaking community. Born in Portugal, she emigrated to France with her parents at the age of ten. Then, after studies and extended stays in various countries, she decided to return to her roots in 2011. "I helped launch the Frenchupers, but I also joined Travelingtolisbon.com, a holiday flat rental company launched by a friend in 2006, when there was still nobody on this market, not even Airbnb.says Barbara Bouçon. Today, Lisbon is not at all the same city, even if gentrification can have its negative side, with a considerable rise in property prices."
Karine Martins came to Lisbon at the instigation of her husband, who is of Portuguese origin. "We had important jobs, but with plans to have children, we decided that staying in Paris wasn't ideal."she says. Entrepreneurs at heartAfter a few months in Lisbon, they visited many places to understand the local market and, after buying their flat, started living there part-time until they moved in for good in July 2018. Now at the head of an IT security consultancy, Kaizen Advisory, Karine Martins and her husband offer solutions tailored to the needs of SMEs and large groups alike. "At the same time, I launched the Lisbon IE Club, a club founded in France nearly twenty years ago to help start-ups get closer together, and which has gradually become international."she continues. "There's a great ecosystem of start-ups here, because the Portuguese are very daring. For them, anything is always possible"she says, adding that she no longer felt this way in France.
The same goes for Morgan Juteau, an entrepreneurial adventurer who moved to Lisbon in 2015 with his wife and two daughters, when he was 35 and barely familiar with Portugal. "On paper, Lisbon met all the criteria that were important to me: proximity to French culture300 days of sunshine a year, all within the euro zone and just two hours from anywhere in Europe."says this Frenchman who spent twelve years in Gabon. "There, I had set up several companies in the telecoms, drones and geolocation sectors, but I wanted to move closer to France. Portugal was a good compromise."he continues. With the benefit of non-habitual resident status, he embarked on a new business: butchery. "I'd noticed that there was a serious lack of good butchers in Lisbon, and that there was no training or know-how for them."
After poaching a butcher in France, he set about integrated into the Portuguese economy and is now learning the language. His wife, an interior decorator, is in charge of designing the shop. This butcher's shop is far from being the only delicatessen recently opened by French nationals. Cheesemongers, patisseries and bakeries are springing up everywhere in this city, which also attracts artists, mixing the language of Molière with that of Pessoa.
