Tied on points, Bordeaux Gironde beat Alsace in a tie-breaker decided by the judges. Competition between the French regions was extremely close and there was little to choose between them, with Bourgogne and northern France ranking just a few points behind. Bordeaux generally scored well for its lower costs and good provision of health and education, while Alsace generally did well for education.

Bordeaux’s most significant deals in 2003 include investments from Getrag Ford Transmissions (a joint venture between GETRAG and Ford headquartered in Cologne); BMS UPSA (part of US pharmaceuticals group Bristol-Myers Squibb), Swiss chocolate maker Lindt and US healthcare group McKesson Corporation. Bordeaux won the judges’ vote for its four universities, eight engineering schools and research organisations. Bourgogne scored well on cost efficiency. Northern France, Rhône-Alpes, Bourgogne and Côte d’Azur picked up points for their promotion strategies and investment attractions.